The Next Generation: Lunar Ranger
by keybearer007
Summary: Caleb Baliton was your normal teenager until he found out both his grandfathers were Power Rangers. Now he's on a race against time to save his friends, who are brainwashed, and discover who he is. *ON HIATUS*
1. Grandpa Merrick

"Hey Grandma Sarah! Hey Grandpa Merrick!" I shouted from the living room of my grandparent's house as I walked in the door. It had been two months since I had seen them.

"Oh my! Let me see my grandson's face!" My Grandma Sarah shouted from the kitchen. They had just finished eating lunch and were talking at the kitchen table.

"Don't worry. I haven't changed that much," I said as I met her at the kitchen doorway. She gave me a hug.

"Oh my goodness!" my Grandma Sarah shouted as the hug ended. She backed out of the doorway so I could get into the kitchen. "You look like your grandfather when he was your age."

"Well I'll be damned," my Grandpa Merrick said as he laughed. He stood up from his chair. "You sure as hell look a lot like me."

I smiled. "You don't have to get up for me Grandpa Merrick," I told him. He stood up anyway. "So, is that a good thing?" Both of my grandparents laughed.

"I don't know. Your grandfather was always one to get into trouble." She turned to my Grandpa Merrick and smiled. He returned her smile.

"How long have you been in town? Have you gone to see your other grandparents? By the way, how are they?" Grandpa Merrick asked. He walked towards me and shook my hand.

"I just got back. I was going to go see mom and dad, but they aren't home. So I decided to come see the two of you first. As for Grandma Joyce and Grandpa RJ, they are doing well. I called them earlier to see if they would be home. You know Grandpa RJ. He loves to travel," I said. I hadn't seen either one of them since I moved out. They had left to go on a month cruise to Alaska a week before I moved.

"Well, don't forget to go by and see them," my Grandma Sarah said. She hugged me again.

"I won't." I looked around the kitchen. I couldn't help but feel like something was missing. "Where is Zen?"

"He's on the porch sun bathing," Grandpa Merrick said.

Zen was my Grandpa Merrick's husky. He got Zen when he was just a pup on the day I was born, eighteen years ago. My first memory of Zen was when I had fallen out of a tree and broke my arm when I was four years old. Zen ran to my grandparent's house and began to bark wildly. About a minute later my Grandpa Merrick was rushing out of the house to see what the commotion was about. Zen led him straight to me. I was very relieved.

After I got my cast my Grandpa RJ and Grandpa Merrick, separately, told me that trees were not for me and that I should just stay on the ground. Both Grandma Joyce and Grandma Sarah thought that they were being too harsh on me.

"So, how is school going?" my Grandma Sarah asked.

"It's going. I've made some really great friends and my classes are going well. It is a lot better than high school. You couldn't pay me go to back and be a student."

"I knew you would like it. So, tell us about your friends," my Grandma Sarah insisted. I sat down at the head of the table so I would be between both my grandparents.

"Well there is Ryan and Michelle Evans, Sara Myers, Devin Cooper, and Daniel Delgado. We all call him Dan for short. They are a little crazy, but their good people and amazing friends. Though, they do have a habit of disappearing."

"Disappearing?" my Grandma Sarah asked. She looked confused.

"Yeah, sometimes they will disappear, but they always reappear later in the day. They all make good grades. And it is rare if they ever skip class." I was trying to calm her down. I didn't want her to think that they were going off and doing drugs or something to that nature.

"Oh, ok. You had me worried for a minute. Can't let our oldest grandson get mixed up with the wrong crowd," she said as she sighed. Then a smile crossed her lips. She turned towards my Grandpa Merrick. He was lost in his own thoughts. Her smile faded. "Honey, are you ok?"

My Grandpa Merrick looked at her. "Everything is fine. I'm just thinking." She nodded, as if she was sending him some kind of signal. "Well then, I'm gonna head off to my shop. I want to finish that damn project that I'm working on for your uncle," he said as he headed to the door. He shook my hand. "Come by later, before you head back to Turtle Cove." I nodded. "Well then, take care."

He walked out of the door as my Grandma Sarah got up. "So, what are you going to do the rest of the day?"

"I'm gonna go see Grandma Joyce and Grandpa RJ. They said that they would be home at two and its one forty-five right now. So, I guess I better head off."

"Well, be careful," she said as she hugged me again. She let go and I headed towards the back of the kitchen.

"I will," I said as I headed out the back door to see Zen before I left. I passed by their refrigerator and saw that Grandpa Merrick had made a metal plate that read 'Baliton Family' and stuck it on the top. Under it were tons of pictures of me and my younger cousins. I smiled as I started to remember some of the crazy things that we would do. Then I turned my attention back to leaving and started walking to the back door. I said goodbye to my Grandma Sarah one last time as I reached the door.

I walked outside to see Zen sitting up. It looked like he was waiting for me. I walked over to him and pet him for about ten minutes. Then I got in my car and headed to see my other grandparents.


	2. Grandpa RJ

I got to my other grandparents about 2:10. As I pulled into their driveway I saw a truck parked where my mom usually parks. The truck was a white Ford. It was a four-door extended cab. I smiled. I had a feeling I knew who's it was.

As I parked and cut off the engine, I saw my grandparents sitting on a swing, a favorite pass time for them, and talking to someone. As I got out of my car to see who it was, I saw my Aunt Fran running towards me. She wasn't really my aunt, but my Grandpa RJ always considered her and her husband like family. To him, they were his brother and sister, since he didn't have any brothers or sisters.

"It's been so long!" she shouted as she hugged me. "Oh my stars! You really do favor him, you know that?"

"Ummm…" came a voice from behind her.

"Oh, sorry! I was just so excited to see him," she said as her husband began walking towards me.

"How have you been?" he asked as he stuck out his hand. We shook hands and he smiled. "You're getting some strength in that arm of yours."

I smiled. "Well, I've been working out," I said. "So, what are you and Aunt Fran doing here, Uncle Dom?"

"We were on our way home when your aunt decided that she wanted to see Rachelle." He sounded tired. He and Aunt Fran had been gone for a while, touring Europe for the fifth time.

"Did you two just get back from Europe?" I was curious. I had always wanted to go to Europe.

"Sure did!" Aunt Fran said. She he looked down at her watch. "We've got to go Dom. We got to pick up the animals from the sitter before three."

"Ok." He turned around to look at my grandparents. "He's all yours!" he shouted as he pointed to me. "And try to keep RJ straight!"

My Grandma Rachelle shook her head. "I'll try, but chances are I won't get very far."

After a few more goodbyes, Dom and Fran were gone. I walked over to my grandparents as they stood up. Grandma Rachelle was the first one to reach me.

"It's been too long!" she said. She was very excited to see me. She gave me a hug, and then let me go. "Well, I'll be! If you aren't looking more and more like your grandfather Merrick! How are he and Sarah doing?"

"They're hanging in there. I just came from their house." I walked over to my Grandpa RJ. We shook hands, and then the three of us headed to a near-by picnic table and sat down.

They began asking me questions about school, my classes, and my friends. I told them what I had told my other grandparents, except the part about my friends disappearing. I then asked them about their cruise. They told me about all the amazing things that they saw while in Alaska. They spoke of the wildlife and the scenery. Grandma Rachelle talked more than Grandpa RJ did, which is usual. But, for some odd reason, I couldn't help but feel like something was going on within him. Something he didn't know how to express. Before I knew it, it was 3:30.

"Wow. It's three-thirty already. Well, I've got to go. I called and left mom a voicemail told her and dad that I would be home at four," I said as I stood up and stretched. "I guess times flies when you are having fun, huh?"

"Heading out?" my Grandma Rachelle asked. She gave a sad smile.

"Yeah, I am. I gotta go check up on my room to make sure dad didn't make it into an office," I laughed as I looked at my Grandpa RJ.

"What?" he asked. "I only changed out your mom's room because she didn't believe me that I would. But I changed it back."

"Yeah, after I knocked some sense into you," Grandma Rachelle said as she elbowed Grandpa RJ. He just laughed.

"Well, I'm off," I said as I walked to my car. They followed. I opened the door and turned around. There they were, standing right next to each other. I couldn't help but smile.

"Be careful, ok?" she sounded a little worried.

"I will. Oh, and are you going to put all of your pictures from the cruise online?" I was curious. I really wanted to see them.

"Tomorrow is another day," she said as she sighed. My Grandpa RJ and I laughed. "What?"

"And tomorrow, today will be yesterday," we said together. It was my Grandpa RJ's favorite saying.

She just shook her head. "I swear. You and your Grandpa RJ are just alike. You both know how to drive me crazy."

She continued to shake her head as me and my Grandpa RJ laughed. "Well bud, I guess you better hit the highway," he said as he held out his hand. We shook hands and, for about a second, I felt weird. But, the feeling passed and I didn't give it another thought.

"Take care!" my Grandma Rachelle said as I got in the car.

I rolled down the windows and smiled. "I will. Take it easy," I said as I cranked the car. I put it in reverse and started to back up.

They stood at the end of their driveway and waved at me until I got into the road. I watched their house fade as I drove onwards to my house.


	3. An Unexpected Event

I pulled in the driveway with two minutes to spare. Dad's truck was home, but there were no lights on in the house. As I opened the garage door I noticed that mom's car wasn't there but the van was.

_I wonder where they went_, I asked myself as I parked behind the van. I got out of my car and headed inside.

As I walked into the kitchen, and was taking my shoes off, I noticed mom had gotten a new oven. I couldn't help but smile. She had been talking about getting a new one for months. On the counter, opposite the oven, was a note that mom had written. I started to read it.

"Hey sweetie. Your dad and I have gone out to eat with some friends. We should be home around 8. Sorry, but it was a last minute thing. Love you. Mom."

_Friends? _I asked myself._ What friends? _I put the note back and headed towards my room.

As I walked by the living room I noticed mom had gotten new rugs. I just smiled. _I guess without me at home, she has extra money to spend on whatever she wants._ I thought as I reached my room. I couldn't help but laugh at the fact. As a kid I never really wanted anything. I liked reading and, usually, I would read whatever books my parents liked. We had the same taste when it came to books. Though, I preferred fiction and science fiction more, there were a few books that we all shared equal value in. Other than that, I wasn't really picky.

As I opened my door to my room I noticed mom had put up new curtains and a new bed spread. I tossed my keys onto my desk and sat down on the bed. About that time I realized it was about 4:10. _Well, now what?_

I yawned. I was all of a sudden sleepy, though it made since. I had been driving for four hours, then I went and spend half of the day with both grandparents. I decided to lay down and take a quick power nap. However, as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light.

The next thing I remembered, I had jolted awake. I was sweating and my head hurt. I had had a strange dream. I was on a hill watching two guys fighting side by side. Each of them were using a very different, but similar fighting style. With every punch and kick they were more amazing and completely in sync with each other. Then, all of a sudden, there was a big explosion and the two guys were thrown into the hillside. Neither one of them could move. I jumped down to see if I could help them and, when I did, I was stabbed with a knife right in the back.

"That was weird…" I said to myself. I looked at my clock. It was a quarter till six. "Wow! That late already, huh?" I got out of the bed and headed to the kitchen door. I grabbed my shoes and headed to the back door. As I got to the door I put on my shoes and went outside.

The evening air was cool. It smelled like fall. The leaves were starting to fall off the trees and the grass was starting to turn colors. Dad had drained the pool and put a cover over it. Mom had the patio furniture repainted white. I walked over to one of the chairs and sat down. I looked up at the sky to see a few white clouds floating by. I closed my eyes and, unconsciously, I began to meditate. My Grandpa RJ had showed me how to meditate when I was ten. It was a great stress reliever.

For a while, time began to feel like it was slowing down. The falling leaves seemed to have stopped in midair. My body became very relaxed and, before I knew it, I was in a state of absolute meditation.

Then, out of nowhere, my meditation was broken. I heard an explosion coming form my grandparent's, who lived next door. One of Grandpa Merrick's shops had burst into flames. The one where all of his antique cars were.

I raced towards their house. I didn't know what to expect. As I ran up the trail that lead to their house I could hear my Grandma Sarah shouting for my Grandpa Merrick. As I got closer to her, and the burning building, a feather-like throwing knife flew towards me and missed by about a half inch. I saw it stick into the side of a tree, then I focused my attention on where it came from.

It was then that I saw someone in a yellow costume looking down at the ground, their hand held outwards where they had just thrown the feather-like knife. They hadn't spotted me yet. I ran, even faster now, around my Grandpa Merrick's workshop to the clearing between it and their house. I walked slowly around to see who that person was. As I looked over the side of the building I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Both my Grandpa Merrick and my Grandpa RJ were back-to-back in a fighting stance. What was even weirder was the way they were standing. They were both in a fighting pose identical to the ones the fighters in my dream were using. Standing around them were five people, all dressed in outfits. There was a red, blue, black, white, and yellow.

As I tried to get closer, I felt someone grab me.

"SHHH!!" It was my Grandma Sarah. "Listen," she said in a hushed tone. My Grandma Rachelle was standing right beside her.

I turned my attention back on my grandfathers. Now I could hear them talking.

"You know why we are here, correct?" asked the one in red. I could tell from the voice that it was a guy. Neither one of my grandfathers replied. "Just hand over the crystals and we'll be on out way."

"You have no right to wield them! They belong to my grandson!" shouted my Grandpa Merrick. He was furious.

"Fine! Then we'll just kill you, then we'll make your wife tell us where they are!" the yellow said, in a hateful manner. From the voice, I could tell that it was a girl.

"Over my dead body!" Grandpa Merrick shouted.

"That can be arranged," replied the guy in the black outfit.

"True. However, neither of our wives knows where we hid the crystals. So, they wouldn't be able to help you," my Grandpa RJ said. I could tell from the tone of his voice that he was smiling and lying.

For a long while no one said anything. Zen had come up behind me and had sat down next to me. His attention completely focused on my Grandpa Merrick. At first I didn't notice it, but slowly I began to feel a power radiating from Zen. But before I got a chance to bring this to either of my grandmother's attention, the guy in the red outfit caught my attention.

He walked forward and pulled out a small sword form his belt. He held it close to my Grandpa RJ's neck. "Watch it, Wolf Master," he warned. There was another long pause. "We'll search the whole ground and destroy everything on this property until we find it. As for you two, since you do not want to cooperate we will just kill you." And with that the guy snapped his fingers and the other four began to draw in towards my grandfathers.

The next thing I remember I tried to run towards my grandfathers in order to assist them. But I was stopped by a bright light, which was followed by the sounds of a fight. Then, everything went black.


	4. Ummm?

When I finally woke up, it was almost midnight. I was in a bed in one of the bedrooms of my grandparent's house. I had a bruise on the back of my head, where it looked like I had fallen down and hit something. On top of that, I had a headache. I felt the pain of the bruise as I massaged my head to try to get rid of my headache. _That's odd. _I said to myself. _I thought I fell forward._

Then, it came to me. I began to remember. My mind began to race as I remembered every detail of what had happened earlier. And, slowly, I began to forget about my headache and the bruise I had on the back of my head.

I raced out of the bedroom and down the hallway to see both my grandmothers sitting at my grandma's kitchen table.

"What happened? Where is Grandpa Merrick and Grandpa RJ? Who were those guys in the funny costumes?" I asked.

Neither of them said a word. They just stared at me. It sort of gave me the creeps.

"Well?!" I was getting irritated.

They turned their attention downwards onto the table. They, for some reason, did not want to answer me. It was then that I noticed three small objects on the table. At first I thought it was the salt and pepper shakers, but when I noticed that there were three something didn't feel right.

"Do you know what these are?" my Grandma Sarah asked. She pointed to the objects on the table.

"The salt and pepper shakers?" I asked. "But, what does that have to do with anything? Where are-?"

"They're in the bedroom next to the kitchen," My Grandma Rachelle responded. My other grandma just stared at her. I could sense some tension between them. "Well, he has the right to know."

I started walking towards the bedroom, but my Grandma Rachelle stopped me.

"I'm sorry, but you can't go see them," she said as she stood in the doorway. She crossed her arm, a sign that told me she was serious.

"Why?!" I asked. I was getting really pissed.

"Caleb Robert Baliton!" roared both of my grandfathers from the other room. From the sound of their voices, they were even more pissed.

_Crap. _I said to myself. _The middle name._ I looked at my Grandma Rachelle, then at my Grandma Sarah. They didn't say anything, nor did they look at me. About a minute passed, then my Grandma Rachelle moved out of the way to let me enter the bedroom.

As I entered I noticed the room was almost completely dark. The only light came from a oil-powered lantern in the middle of the room. When the door shut behind me, and my eyes started to get use to the light, I noticed that my Grandpa Merrick in one bed on one side of the room and Grandpa RJ on another bed on the opposite side.

I walked to the middle of the room, near the lantern. I looked at my Grandpa RJ, then to my Grandpa Merrick. I couldn't make out their faces because of the lack of light, but I could sense something was wrong.

"Caleb, there is something we must tell you," my Grandpa Merrick began. All of a sudden he started coughing really hard.

"Grandpa Merrick!" I shouted. I started to walk towards him.

"Stop!" shouted my Grandpa RJ.

I stopped where I was at and turned around. I couldn't see my Grandpa RJ's face, but I couldn't help but feel that something was off. For some reason they did not want me near them.

A few minutes passed and my Grandpa Merrick finally stopped coughing. "First thing is first," he said, "you will not speak to your grandmothers in any inappropriate manor. Nor will you raise your voice to them."

I looked down towards the ground. "Sorry. It won't happen again."

"Good. Now then, there is something you need to know about me and RJ," he said. And so he began telling me the history of his life. When he was finished, my other grandpa began telling me about his. For almost two hours I sat on the floor listening to both my grandfathers tell me about their past as "Power Rangers". I was so shocked that I didn't know how to respond when they finished.

"Caleb?" asked my Grandpa RJ.

I stood up and walked towards the door. I could tell that they had expected me to leave. However, I turned around and leaned against the door. "So, these 'crystals' that those other rangers spoke of are 'Animal Crystals,' correct?" They both said yes. "And these 'Animals Crystals' have the power to control 'Wild Zords'?" Again they said yes. "So, those things that I saw on the kitchen table are 'Animal Crystals'?" For a third time they said yes. "So, why are the crystals on the kitchen table solid black?"

"Because they do not possess an animal spirit," answered my Grandpa RJ.

"Ok. So, two questions. First off, where are the animal spirits for the crystals? And two: why are those rangers after them? I thought they were suppose to be the good guys." I was really confused. From the stories that both of my grandfathers had told me, the Power Rangers were good guys.

"I'll answer the first part of that question," my Grandpa Merrick said. "When I found the crystals almost forty years ago I didn't know what to do with them. I had lost my original powers and had no interest in gaining new ones. Plus, the crystals were too powerful for just one human to control. Not too long after I found the crystals, though, I met RJ. I was traveling the world, following the wind and trying to find a place to seal the crystals, when I ended up at RJ's pizza place. I couldn't understand why, but the answer came to me really soon. The city was soon under attack by an Org that had escaped it's death. RJ and the other Jungle Fury rangers began to battle with it, but nothing they did phased the monster. As I watched the battle from the sidelines, the crystals began to react to my emotions. I temporary gained back my Lunar Wolf Powers and fought along side RJ. With his help, we defeated the Org. We then became great friends after the battle. I trusted RJ for a reason I could not explain. So, when I asked RJ if he would keep the crystals safe for me he said yes. So, I gave RJ the crystals to guard."

"And, after Merrick gave me the crystals I realized that it would be safer if the three crystals were separated," my Grandpa RJ continued from where my Grandpa Merrick left off. "When the crystals were together they gave off a strange radiance. That radiance would call forth different monsters that wanted the power of the crystals. So, I gave each of the crystals to my formal students. As the years went by I began to notice that each of my students were getting stronger and stronger. Once we defeated Dai Shi we decided to retire from our Power Ranger life and try to begin a normal life. Things were great between all of us. As we gathered for our twenty-fifth anniversary, Casey, Lily, and Theo brought their crystals before me. They told me that the crystals had slowly began to change colors, but they didn't know why. Later that day I began to since something strange with my former students. They were radiating a strange power from within. That is when I found out that they had absorbed the powers of the Animal Crystals."

As my Grandpa RJ finished his story I saw something move from behind him. It was Zen. He walked in front of the lantern and sat down. He looked at me with his piercing yellow eyes.

"So, what about the rangers?" I asked.

_I'll answer that_, someone answered.

I almost fell as I heard the voice. It was dark and almost creepy-like. I looked towards the direction the voice had come from. When I did I noticed Zen looking strait at me.

"Did you just…?" I began to say.

Zen nodded. _Yes._


	5. The Wolf and the Moon

Zen continued to stare at me with his piercing yellow eyes. I thought I was dreaming at first, until he walked forward and sat down in front of me. Slowly, I slid down and sat next to him. He came within reach of me and began to speak again.

_Do not be afraid. I have no intention of harming you, nor your grandfathers_, Zen said calmly. He was speaking to me through a psychic link. The words came directly into my mind.

"G-Grandpa…" I started to say.

"Yes?" they asked simultaneously.

"Why is Zen talking to me?" I asked. I was so confused. I had no idea that Zen could talk.

"Well," began my Grandpa Merrick, "Zen isn't really a husky. He is a wolf."

_That didn't answer his question_, Zen said as he turned his attention to my Grandpa Merrick.

"I was getting to that," he began. Zen continued to stare at my Grandpa Merrick. "Well fine. Why don't you tell him."

Zen nodded and turned his attention back to me. He began telling me about his past with my Grandpa Merrick. He told me of the Cursed Wolf Mask and the Dark Wild Zords. He also told me how the seal was broken and how he was revived the first time and, shortly there after, defeated by Grandpa Merrick. He then started telling me about his travels with my Grandpa Merrick after the Master Org was defeated.

"So, how did you get revived after Grandpa Merrick defeated you?" I interrupted. I hadn't meant to, it had just slipped out. Zen continued to stare at me. 'Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt."

_It's understandable,_ Zen responded. He walked over to the window and then turned around. _I was revived by the powers of the blue moon._ Then, all of a sudden, the windows burst open and the curtains flew up to reveal an almost full blue moon.

I was stunned. Not only had I not expected the window to open, but to see a blue moon as well, I was shocked. I didn't know what to say. As I continued to stare at the moon, I began to feel strange. I was gaining strength from the moon. I could feel something coursing through my veins. Then, as mysteriously as they opened, they shut again.

_You felt it, huh?_ Zen asked. His big yellow eyes becoming sharp as he continued to stare at me.

"I…felt…something…" I replied. I wasn't sure what it was that I had felt. About this time, I could feel myself sweating.

"It makes since," my Grandpa RJ began. "He does possess two different powers."

"Powers?" I asked. "What are you talking about?"

Together, Zen, Grandpa Merrick, and Grandpa RJ said, "The Powers of the Wolf."

I sat in silence for a few minutes as I tried to process the information that had just told me. _Powers…? Of the Wolf…? _I was confused beyond imagination.

_Have you ever wondered why , once a month, you were always 'sick'? _Zen asked.

"What do you mean…" and, then, it came to me. For as long as I could remember I would always get sick once a month. It was nothing serious. Common cold, ear infection, headache. I had never given much thought to why, but now things were starting to make sense.

_Do you see the pattern? _Zen asked.

I nodded. "There was always a new moon."

I could tell he was smiling. His psychic link between me and him told me so. _Tomorrow is a full moon. Or, to be more precise, a full blue moon. And that is when we shall go and see the princess._

"Princess?" I looked at Grandpa Merrick, then back to Zen. "As in Shayla, the Princess of the Animaria?"

Zen came forward and nodded. _Now then, I am sure you still have many questions left to ask, but they will have to wait until later in the morning. You need to get some sleep. We have many things to do tomorrow before we go to Animaria._

I was about to protest, saying that I wasn't tired, but both my grandfathers shook their heads. I decided not to argue with them, knowing that I would not win. There was three of them and only one of me. So, I said my goodnights and left the room.

My grandmothers were still in the kitchen when I came out of the bedroom. Neither one of them said anything. So, I started walking to the bedroom that I had came out of.

"Caleb?" my Grandma Rachelle asked, "Are you mad at me and Sarah?"

I turned around and shook my head. "No, I can see why the two of you did not want to tell me about Grandpa RJ and Grandpa Merrick. Also, I'm sorry I raised my voice. I shouldn't have and I'll make sure it never happens again." They both smiled. "Well then, goodnight."

"Goodnight!" they said together.

And with that I headed back to the bedroom for some much needed sleep. I looked at the clock. It said 3 A.M. I yawned. I hadn't realized how tired I was until I had gotten in the bed. When my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light.


	6. Enter the Jungle Fury

I woke up later that morning to the smell of breakfast. Bacon, eggs, toast, waffles, grits, and muffins. I rolled around, thinking I was dreaming until the door opened.

"Caleb," came the sweet voice of my Grandma Sarah, "you need to get up."

I halfway opened my eyes and groaned, "What time is it?"

"It's nine-thirty. I let you sleep an extra hour and a half," she said as she turned on the lights.

"Nine-thirty? That's too early in the morning," I said, halfway awake.

"The early bird gets the worm!" she said cheerfully.

_Yeah, and then the wolf gets the bird_, I said to myself as I attempted to get out of bed.

When I was finally out of bed, I made my way towards the kitchen. I noticed Zen was beside the table, as if he was waiting for me, or the food; I couldn't really tell. Next to him, in a chair, was my Grandma Rachelle. She smiled as I entered the room.

"Good morning sleepy head!" she said cheerfully. She stood up and hugged me. "I went down to your house last night and got you some clean cloths. So, after breakfast, you need to go take a shower. We have a very busy day ahead of us. Isn't that right, Zen?"

_You are correct_, Zen answered. I looked down at him and shook my head. _Problem?_

"I was wondering if I had dreamt it all, but I guess I didn't, huh?"

_No, you didn't_, he replied. _Also, both Merrick and RJ are exhausted from yesterday. So, we mustn't bother them. _I nodded.

After a good breakfast, cooked by my Grandma Sarah, I took a shower and changed into some fresh cloths. It felt good to get out of my dirty, nasty cloths and into some fresh ones.

As I went back into the kitchen I saw my Grandma Rachelle on the phone. I sat down next to Grandma Sarah at the kitchen table. "Have you talked to mom or dad?" I asked. I was surprised that they hadn't called.

"Yes, I have. I told them that you were going to stay up here and help Merrick out in the shop. They said that they would be home for dinner," she said. She gave me a tired smile. I could tell that she had not gotten much sleep.

"Alright Caleb, we've got to go," my Grandma Rachelle said as she got off the phone. "We are to meet some people at my house in an hour."

My Grandma Sarah and I stood up as my Grandma Rachelle headed towards the door.

"Here," she said as she handed me a small cloth sack. I could tell that the crystals were inside, "you're gonna need these." She gave me a hug and smiled. "Good luck!"

I said thank you and headed to the door. Zen stopped me.

_You need to be back by 7. Understand?_ I nodded. _Then go. And best of luck._

And with that I got into the car with my Grandma Rachelle and headed towards her house.

XXXXXXXXXX

It had been almost two hours since we got to her house. I was bored out of my mind. For about an hour I watched TV. Then I picked up a book and started reading. About half an hour later I was finished with it. So, I took the crystals out of the sack to look at them. They were a little smaller than a golf ball. In the middle of each were one of three different colors, surrounded by an emptiness of black. The colors were red, blue, and yellow.

I had forgotten how bored I was as I inspected the crystals, until Grandma Rachelle started complaining again.

"Damn it! Their over an hour late!" she began. "Where the hell are they?!"

"Maybe they got lost?" I asked. She gave me an evil glare. "I'm just saying! Anyway, who is it that we are meeting?"

But before she could answer me, there was a knock at the door.

"Finally!" she shouted as she headed towards the door. I went with her, but stopped at the archway that lead into the kitchen.

She opened the door to reveal my Uncle Casey, Aunt Lily, and Uncle Theo; also known as the Jungle Fury Power Rangers. With them were their grandkids: Case, Casey's grandson; Mai, Lily's granddaughter; and Thomas, Theo's grandson.

"Well, it's about time!" my grandma said. She hurried them on into the house.

"Sorry Rachelle. We ran into some…trouble," my Aunt Lily said.

"Trouble?" my grandma asked. She went from being furious to being concerned.

"Yeah, we had a run-in with these…creatures. I don't know what they were, but they were strong. If we hadn't brought our grandkids with us, we'd be screwed," my Uncle Casey said. Case looked over at him, then shook his head. Case, who is nineteen, looks a lot like his grandfather when he was younger, except for the fact that he had bleach-blond hair.

I looked over at Mai and Thomas. Both of them resembled their grandparents, except Mai had dark brown hair and Thomas had green eyes. Other than that, they looked like their grandparents when they were about Mai and Thomas's age.

"Well, lets talk about it somewhere more private," my grandma said. "Caleb?" I walked into the room. Case, Mai, and Thomas almost jumped. They hadn't seen me in over five years. "Will you press that button up there in the cabinet? I can't reach it."

I pressed the button and the floor began to slowly elevate downwards.

It took five minutes, but we reached the bottom. I was completely unaware that, underneath my Grandpa RJ and Grandma Rachelle's house, there was a dojo. Case, Mai, and Thomas seemed as surprised as I was. However, Casey, Lily, and Theo didn't.

"It looks like the loft back at the pizza parlor. Except, it's underground," Theo remarked as we stepped off the platform and walked forward, into the dojo.

"Now then, what happened?" my grandma asked.

Casey, Lily, and Theo turned their attention towards my grandma as they prepared to tell us what happened. Case, Mai, Thomas, and I stayed close by.

"Well, after I got off the phone with you, I called Lily and Theo and asked them if they would meet me and Case at the park," began Casey. "On our way to the park, I told Case about my history as a power rangers." Theo and Lily nodded, as if they were saying they did the same thing. "So, when we arrived at the park and met up with Lily and Theo we gave our grandkids the Solar Morphers and explained that they were to continue the legend as the Jungle Fury Power Rangers, inheriting the spirit of the tiger, cheetah, and jaguar. Then, we were attacked by these strange creatures. If it wasn't for our grandchildren, we would have been killed."

"What did these things look like?" I asked.

"They sort of reminded me of the Rinshi, but…" Lily said.

My grandma walked over to one of the computers and typed something in. Then, a picture of this ugly gray colored creature appeared on the screen. "Is this what it looked like?" They all nodded. "Their called Putrids. Their the Rinshi version that the Wild Force Rangers fought."

"Wild Force?" Case, Mai, and Thomas asked.

"I'll explain later," my grandma said. "So, the Pai Zhua Masters have been training their oldest grandchildren in the ways of Pai Zhua?" Then nodded. "RJ did too." My grandma looked at me.

"Wait, what?" I asked, extremely confused.

"I'll explain everything later," my grandma said. "Well, actually, I'll let them explain everything to you." She pointed towards Casey, Lily, and Theo and also at Case, Mai, and Thomas. I just shook my head. "But right now we've got to get ready for the ritual. We need to place the Animal Spirits back into the Crystals." And with that, she began making preparations.


	7. Of Spirits and Rituals

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked my grandma as she began typing on a computer.

My grandma looked at me and smiled. "At the moment: no," she said. She had this look in her eyes that told me something was up. "But don't worry, you'll be needed real soon."

So, for the next hour I sat around and watch the others prepare for the ritual which would transfer the Animal Spirits back into the Crystals. They brought out three pedestals. Each pedestal had a hole cut out of it, where the Crystal would sit. Then, they began writing on the floor, going from the three pedestals to the center of the room where they had drawn a circle that was about five feet wide.

At two o'clock my grandma called everyone to come to her. "I am almost finished with the preparations. Have you set up the pedestals?" she asked, not turning away from the computer.

"We have," Casey said.

"Good. Now then, I want Case, Mai, and Thomas to get themselves in position and begin meditating. We'll start the final process in about fifteen minutes," she said. And, with that Case, Mai, and Thomas went and sat down in the circle. Each of them were facing one of the pedestals.

Ten minutes passed before my grandma said anything. "Alright, Caleb. I need you to place each of the Crystals into the pedestals," she said, turning her attention away from the computer for the first time in hours. "You'll notice that the pedestals will match the center color of the Crystals."

I walked over to the pedestal in front of Case and placed the Crystal with the red center in the cutout on the pedestal. Then I placed the blue and yellow Crystals in their rightful place in front of Thomas and Mai respectively.

My grandma clapped her hands together. "Alright then. Casey, Lily, Theo: get into position."

Casey walked over to the red pedestal, Lily to the yellow, and Theo to the blue. Then, they put their hands over the Crystals and held them there. Their hands stood in place, completely and perfectly still.

"Well then, shall we begin?" she asked. Casey, Lily, and Theo nodded. And, with that, my grandma pressed a button on the computer that opened a door just above the three in the circle. It was shaped like a telescope, with the big eye piece closed. With a press of a second button, the cap came off and a light began to fill the room. Then, Case and Casey began to glow red. "What you're seeing now, Caleb, is their spirit. Soon, their spirits will link," my grandma said. And she was right. Not long after she told me, the two spirits linked up. It looked as if Case was giving his grandpa energy. Then Lily and Mai began to glow yellow as Theo and Thomas began to glow blue. Soon, their spirits linked up. They all had calm facial expressions, but I could tell that something big was about to begin.

Then, Lily began to scream as if she was in pain. But, the screaming didn't last long as a brown spirit came out of her body and took the shape of a bear. Then, the bear spirit transferred itself into the Crystal. The Crystal then changed into a light brown color with a small figure in the middle of it.

Theo soon followed as a dark green spirit came out of his body and took the shape of a crocodile. Like the bear spirit, it transferred itself into the Crystal, turning the Crystal a green color with a small figure within it.

Several minutes passed and still Casey had not budged. Then, he began to howl. Slowly, a gray spirit began to form around him. However, the spirit kept trying to return to Casey. Casey began to howl even louder, screaming as loud as he could. The spirit did not want to leave him.

"They can't hold out much longer," my grandma said. "Case is giving as much energy to Casey as he can spare without killing himself and Casey is giving all he as to get that spirit out." She and I watched in despair. I didn't know how to help him. Then, my grandma got up and walked past Casey and into the circle, right behind Case. Then, she formed a hand sign and her spirit began to for. From there, she transferred it to Case, so he could, then, convert it and transfer it to Casey, or so I thought.

Ten minutes passed and Casey still continued to yell and scream. I felt useless and pathetic. I clench my fist in anger. _If only I could help them_, I said to myself. I looked at Thomas and Mai, then to Lily and Theo and wondered why they couldn't help. As another minute passed Casey's yelling got even louder. And, buy this time, I was getting angry. I couldn't understand why the gray spirit would not leave.

People always told me that if you got mad enough, you would see red. Well, I don't know if it was because I was mad, or if it was because I had this guilt within me because I could help, but there was a sudden flash of purple and silver. Then, out of no where, my body began to glow a light blue. I knew then what it was that I had to do. I walked over to Casey and placed my hands on top of his. I could feel myself giving him power. I began to feel weak and, as I was about to collapse, the gray spirit completely emerged from Casey's body and formed into a coyote. Then, just like the other two spirits, the coyote spirit transferred itself into the Crystal, changing it into a gray color with a small figure with in the middle.

Casey and I both fell on the ground as the link between him and Case ended. "Well, that was fun," Casey said sarcastically.

I looked at my grandma. "Well, what next?"


	8. Encounter

I stood up and brushed myself off. Then I helped Casey up. As Casey regained his balance, Case ran over to his grandfather.

"You ok granddaddy?" he asked. Casey nodded, then looked at me. By this time, my grandmother was standing right in front of me.

"How did you do that? RJ never taught you to control your animal spirit," she said. She looked over at Casey, wondering if the former leader of the Jungle Fury rangers knew the answer.

"Don't look at me. I've never seen anything like that before," Casey said. By this time, Theo, Lily, Mai, and Thomas were standing next to Casey and Case. They all seemed amazed, except Theo.

"I don't think it was an animal spirit," Theo said. We all turned our attention towards him.

"What do you mean?" my grandmother asked.

Theo was hesitant, as if he didn't know how to explain this phenomenon exactly. "Well, the color of the energy that surrounded you was actually a dark blue, with a very light blue surrounding that," he said, "I'm not entirely sure, but I believe what you were using was Aura."

It was silent for a few minutes as everyone tried to process what Theo had just said. My grandmother walked over to him and gave him a very scary look. "How sure are you?" she asked, her voice was in a low pitch. She sounded angry.

"I'm about eighty percent sure," he said. My grandmother looked as if she was going to kill him.

"Rachelle, it's not Theo's fault," Lily said as she lightly touched my grandmothers shoulder. My grandmother sighed and backed away from Theo. Lily turned her attention towards me, "Caleb, will you tell us what it was you felt when that power came over you?"

I looked down at the ground, then at my hands. "I remember feeling useless as I watched Casey. I felt as if there was nothing I could do. I was getting angry. Angry that I couldn't help. Then…" I started to drift off as I tried to remember. It hadn't been ten minutes since it happened, but it happened so fast I couldn't remember all the details. "…I saw these colors flash through my mind. The next thing I know, I'm standing next to Uncle Casey."

"I'm not complaining. That animal spirit just didn't want to leave. I wonder why, though," Casey said as he started walking away from the group.

"Well, the important thing is that we got them out of your bodies and back into the crystals," Lily said, as she and Mai began ascending the stairs that lead to the computers.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to ask RJ about your powers," my grandma said as she followed Lily and Mai.

"Hang on," I said. My grandma turned around. "What is Aura? Why is it such a big deal that I can use it, if it really is Aura that I am controlling?"

My grandma sighed. "Well, Aura is-" but she was interrupted by an alarm that came from the computers. She looked up and Lily, who was punching in buttons.

Lily looked down at us, her facial expression telling us that something big was about to begin. "We got company," she said. "It's those freaks from earlier."

"Putrids?" my grandmother asked. "They must have sensed the power from the ritual earlier." She looked over at Casey and Theo. "No, you two." They looked at her in confusion. "This is the reason you three trained your grandchildren. This is their fight now."

Theo and Casey looked at Lily, who nodded in agreement with my grandma. "Well then," Casey said, "Suit-up rangers."

With that, Case, Thomas, and Mai pulled out three pairs of sunglasses, each of them a different color. They put them on and pressed a button on the left side. They began making motions as they shouted: "Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleash!" There was a bright flash of red, blue, and yellow light. When the light had died down, I saw the three of them wearing uniforms. Case's was red and represented by a tiger; Mai's was yellow and represented by the cheetah; Thomas' was blue and represented by the jaguar.

Lily pressed a button on one of the computers that opened a door. Together, the three rangers through the door and, within a few minutes, were visible on the computer monitor. We all rushed towards the monitor, anxious to watch the fight. I was astounded by the fighting styles they were using.

"They're fighting just like we use to," Lily said. The other two nodded in recognition. They didn't want to say anything, for fear they might miss something during the fight.

I was somewhat envious as I watched the new Jungle Fury rangers fight the Putrids. I couldn't help but feel useless as I watched them, wishing that I was out there fighting by their side.

They defeated the Putrids within minutes and were about to head back here when a blast of energy knocked them down. Casey, Lily, and Theo jumped as they saw their grandchildren get knocked down.

"What was that?" I asked. My grandma gave me a look that told me it was them.

As the smoked cleared, a figure appeared from beneath it. The figure was wearing a big, black overcoat with the hood up. In the person's right hand was some kind of device. To me, it looked like a cell phone. The figure confirmed my suspicions as it flipped the phone open and held it up to its mouth. It mumbled something into the phone and morphed into a black ranger.

"This is bad," my grandma said. We all looked at her. "They're about to go up against the strongest of the Wild Force Rangers. The Iron Bison."


	9. The Damage Brought

We all watched in silence as the Black Wild Force Ranger began walking towards the Jungle Fury Rangers. They had gotten back on their feet and each of them were in a fighting stance. I could tell the black ranger was not impressed. He continued to walk towards the rangers casually.

"This is bad," my grandma said. We all turned our attention towards her. "The others don't stand a chance." Theo, Lily, and Casey gave my grandmother a mean look. "Sorry, but as I said: the Iron Bison is the strongest of the Wild Force. There is no way Case, Mai, or Thomas can compare to him in strength."

I looked back at the screen and saw Mai and Thomas rushing towards the black ranger. They grabbed an arm each and held him in position. Then, Case began running towards him with his nun chucks swinging. However, something did not look right. It looked as if the black ranger wanted to be caught. And, unfortunately, my suspicions were correct. The black ranger knocked back both Mai and Tomas, then elbowed them both in the stomach, which sent them flying backwards and into a wall.

Then, the black ranger punched Case in the stomach, grabbed him by the neck, and lifted him upwards so his feet were dangling off the ground. He then hit him in the head, forcing Case to de-morph. He grabbed Case's Solar Morpher and held it close to where his mouth would be if his helmet was not on. By this time, everyone's attention was back on the fight.

"Case!" Casey shouted. But before he could do anything, Lily and Theo stopped him.

"I know you can hear me," began the black ranger, his voice dark. Casey turned around and looked back at the screen. "So listen well. You have twenty-four hours to hand over the Animal Crystals. Bring them to the wolf's tomb. Failure to do so will result in destruction in a wide scale."

The black ranger then released Case, but before his feet touched the ground he punched Case in the stomach again. This time, however, it sent Case flying through a wall and into another, which stopped him. He turned around and walked away, vanishing behind a pile of rubble.

"I'm going after them!" Casey shouted as he ran towards the tunnel.

"We're going with you!," Theo said as he and Lily followed their formal leader.

My grandma looked at me, her facial expression stern. "We have work to do."

For the next ten minutes we began setting up beds and getting out what looked like surgical equipment.

As Theo and Casey came in carrying Case my grandma pushed me the side. "It's almost six thirty. You need to get back. Zen is waiting for you."

"But-" I said, as I tried to argue my case.

"No, Caleb. Lily, the others, and I will handle everything. Now go," she said as she handed me the keys to my Grandpa RJ's BMW.

I started to say something, but she shook her head. I sighed, and turned to leave. But, before I took the elevator back upstairs, I took one last look. Mai and Thomas seemed fine, but Case was covered in blood.

_Damn him, _I said to myself as I stood, back facing everyone, as the elevator started upwards.

As soon as it reached the top, I ran to the garage and got into the BMW. I raced to my other grandparents house, trying to forget what I had just seen. As I got to their house, I noticed that tears were rolling down my face. Though Case and I were never that close, seeing him in that state was absolutely horrid.

"I'm sorry, Case," I said to myself, softly. I got out of the car and headed inside. I was going to make the Iron Bison pay.


	10. Into The Forest

I walked into Grandpa Merrick and Grandma Sarah's house. Zen met me at the door.

_Your heart is full of sorrow and anger; sadness and revenge. What happened?_ He asked.

So for the next fifteen minutes I told him everything. The ritual, the Jungle Fury Rangers, and the encounter they had with the black Wild Force Ranger.

_I see_, he said. _So, now you want revenge. I have some advice. Revenge will get you no where. An eye for an eye is no way to live your life._

"Yeah, but Case was really hurt. That black ranger could have killed him," I said. I was quite surprised by my calmness.

_Still, revenge is something that causes problems within the future. Remember, I once wanted revenge against your grandfather. Now, he and I are good friends_, Zen said as he walked towards me. _Now then, we have business to attend to. Follow me._

And we were off. I followed Zen through the house to the bedroom I had slept in. There, on the bed, was a duffle bag. He told me to open it up and take out the black box. I did as he told me. From there, I placed the Animal Crystals inside it.

_This way, the energy being released from the crystals will be sealed within the box so no one will be able to sense it_, he said, as I placed the box back into the duffle bag. I swung it around my head so the strap was diagonal from my left shoulder to my right hip. _We must hurry. Everyone is waiting for you._

We ran out of the house to find my Grandma Sarah waiting for us. She gave me a hug. "Please, come back in one piece," she said.

"I will. I promise," I said. She smiled at me as a tear rolled down her cheek.

_Come_, Zen said as he began walking.

I said my final goodbyes to my Grandma Sarah and continued to follow Zen. We traveled towards the forest that was behind my grandparents house. After ten minutes, we reached the out skirts of the forest. I stopped to wonder why we were going into the forest, but Zen kept going so I didn't have long to ponder. For twenty minutes, it was quiet. There was the occasional squirrel running through the leaves and up a tree or a bird flying overhead as it was locating its nest. We went around trees, brush, and other plants. I had never been this far back into the forest before. My grandparents had always forbid me from even going into the forest. In a way, it gave me the creeps.

"Hey Zen, do you mind if I ask you some questions?"

_I will not tell you where we are going. You must wait and see for yourself_, he replied.

_Well, that answers one question,_ I said to myself. "Ok then, what is the wolf's tomb?"

Zen almost stopped in his tracks when I asked him. _How did…?_

"Well, the black ranger said two things that peaked my interest. The first was about the wolf's tomb. The other was about destruction in 'a wide scale'."

Zen didn't respond immediately. From what I could tell, he was trying to make sense of everything. _The first part I will explain to you in a minute. As for the second, he must be talking about the Wild Zords._

"The Wild Zords?!" I asked, in a panic. From what I was told, the Wild Zords were incredibly powerful.

_I wouldn't worry about it too much,_ Zen said, calmly. At first I didn't understand, but it soon came to me. He meant the crystals in the bag. _Now then, the wolf's tomb was my resting place for over three thousand years. After Merrick put on the mask and formed the zord, the mask attached itself to him and I took control of his body. The Guardians of the Earth, at the time, did not want to destroy him. So, they used the power of their Animal Crystals to seal us in a tomb. A little over three thousand years, we appear. The rest you already know._

"So, why would they want to meet us there?" I asked. My curiosity had been aroused. My Grandpa Merrick never liked to talk much about his past.

_I do not know,_ he said. _However, I intend to find out._

After that, Zen and I didn't talk for another half hour as we traveled through the forest. I was pondering all the things Zen had told me earlier. I was also wondering how Case was. I pulled out my cell, only to discover that I had no signal. _Damn. This sucks._ I said to myself. I could hear Zen chuckle.

It was a little after nine when we finally stopped to rest. The sky was almost completely dark. A few stars had shown up in the sky.

_We should be close. Probably another half mile. _I groaned. _Relax, we are almost there._

And so, we headed off ten minutes later. Because of the darkness, it took us longer than we expected. It was almost nine-thirty before we got to our destination.

_We have arrived, _Zen said.

The area in which we had traveled to was very strange to me. There was a circular pattern on the ground, where the land had been cleared. It was about three feet in diameter. The ground, itself, had strange patterns in it. It looked like someone used a giant cookie cutter to make the prints into the ground.

"Well, now what?" I asked. I walked towards the circle and looked at it closer.

_Step in,_ Zen said as he walked into the circle. I followed. The ground began to glow and I began to feel as if I was levitating off the ground. I looked down, only to discover that I was levitating. But before I could say a word, Zen's thoughts came flooding into mine. _We are now entering the __Animarium._


	11. Princess Shayla

_Everything is about to go black, _Zen said as we continued to levitate in the air. And, he was right. Another minute later, everything went black. I couldn't even see my hands in front of my face. Then, a light appeared.

"A light at the end of a tunnel?" I asked, halfway sarcastically.

Zen said nothing as he walked forward. I followed. As we reached the entrance way, Zen stopped. _Go on,_ he said. I looked at him, curiously. _I'll be there in a minute. I have to…change first._ I just nodded and walked onward, confused.

As I walked under the doorway, the light surrounded me. When my eyes finally focused, my mouth dropped. I was standing on a pathway that lead towards some sort of camp site, with jungle surrounded on all sides. I slowly walked the pathway and into the camp. As I entered the camp, I noticed a small pond on the left. Sitting in a chair, close to a stone picnic table, was my Grandpa Merrick. Opposite of him was my Grandpa RJ. Their backs were turned to me, as if they were trying to hide something.

"Grandpa Merrick? Grandpa RJ?" I asked. Neither of them moved. Then, a light flashed behind me and I turned around. Then next thing I know, I'm face-to-face with a young woman with brown hair. She wore a white dress and had a crown of flowers on her head. She smiled as she walked towards me.

"Greetings," she said, happily. "I am Shayla, Princess of the Animarium."

I was lost for words. I hadn't expected anyone to just appear out of no where. My Grandpa Merrick seemed to notice this, as he spoke. "Introduce yourself," he said. His tone was demanding. Something very unusual about my Grandpa Merrick.

I looked over at my shoulder, and noticed that he was still facing the other way. I turned back to the princess. "I am Caleb Baliton, grandson of Merrick Baliton and Robert 'RJ' James."

The princess smiled as she walked towards me. "I've been waiting to meet you for the longest time!" she said, happily. Then, she hugged me. I hugged her back, really confused. As she pulled away, she started walking towards my Grandpa Merrick.

"Princess, please," my grandpa said. The princess seemed confused. "I was your guardian, nothing more."

The princess backed away. I could tell that she was upset. "Grandpa Merrick?" I asked. He nodded. "What is going on?"

This time, Grandpa RJ spoke. "Well, you are on the Animarium," he said. He stood up and turned around. I almost jumped. My Grandpa RJ was covered in bandages. He had them on his arms, legs, torso, and he had a patch over his eye. Before I could ask, he said, "Yesterday."

"They did that to you? So, does that mean…?" I began to ask. My Grandpa Merrick seemed to understand as he too stood up and turned around. The princess gasped. I just looked on. I was getting angry. Like my Grandpa RJ, Grandpa Merrick was also covered in bandages. He was also having to use a cane, something that I thought I would never see him have to use.

"My…rangers…did…that…" the princess said, slowly. "We need to stop them."

"And that is why Caleb is here," my Grandpa RJ said.

"Wait. What?" I asked, dumbfounded.

The princess walked over to me. "You mean, you don't know?" she asked.

"Know what?" I asked. I we getting annoyed. No one was making sense.

My Grandpa Merrick walked over to me and put his right hand on my shoulder, his left was holding the cane. "You are the new Lunar Wolf Ranger," he said, calmly.

"Me? A power ranger?" I asked. About a thousand things flashed through my mind as I tried to understand what all was just said.

"Yes, you," he said. "You shall inherit the powers of the wolves."

"Wolves?" I asked. He nodded. "But, wait, what?"

"We'll explain later," My Grandpa RJ said. "First off, we need to know about these power rangers of yours princess."

The princess nodded as she walked towards the pool. "It happened about a week ago," the princess began. "There was a disturbance in the city. A very powerful org had been unleashed. The rangers went out to investigate. As they arrived, they were forced into battle. The org was very strong, but the rangers were able to defeat it together. Then, two days after the fight, they started acting weird. Their behavior began to change. They started being rude to each other and to me. Then, yesterday, they cut off contact with me completely. And, earlier today, they tried to summon the Wild Zords. However…" she looked towards the open field. On top of a mountain was a giant lion. "the Wild Zords wouldn't listen to them."

"They wouldn't?" Grandpa Merrick asked. "That's strange. The Wild Zords are sworn under oath that, whoever holds their crystals will control them."

"Then there is only one explanation," came a dark voice from behind us. I turned around to see who it was. Walking towards us was a wolf-like creature. He was dressed completely in black, with a flute-like dagger in his left hand. I couldn't help but feel as if I knew him.

"And what would that be, Zen-Aku?" my Grandpa Merrick asked.

"Their power has been tainted."


	12. The Power of Aura

"Tainted?" the princess asked. Zen-Aku nodded. "But, how?"

"I'm afraid I do not know," Zen-Aku said as he walked over to my Grandpa Merrick. "I have a few suspicions, but…" He trailed off, as he looked towards the open field. I walked over to him.

"Zen?" I asked, confused.

"It's Zen-Aku, now," he said. I must have still looked puzzled, as he let out a small laugh. "I only go by Zen when I am in my wolf form. It was easier for you to say, when you were little."

"Zen-Aku, Caleb," my Grandpa Merrick called. We both turned around. "The time for small talk isn't now." Zen-Aku nodded. My Grandpa Merrick turned his attention towards the princess. "We need it."

The princess nodded, turned around, and headed towards a doorway opposite the way I entered the area.

I watched her leave, then looked over at my grandfathers. But before I could ask, my Grandpa RJ interrupted me. "She'll be back soon," he said. "Now then, there are a few things we need to know. What happened earlier? Rachelle sent me a message earlier, saying something went wrong."

I looked at him, now even more confused. I pulled my cell out, only to discover I had no signal. "How did she…?" I began to ask.

"She sent the message through her Animal Spirit," he replied. "Once we became united, we learned how to send messages back and forth between each other."

"Well, that makes sense," I said. I looked down at the ground as the images from the fight earlier replayed in my mind. I looked up at my grandfathers and began telling them exactly what I had told Zen-Aku earlier. When I finished, fifteen minutes later, both my grandfathers were motionless and speechless. Neither one of them knowing what to say.

"Damn," my Grandpa RJ said, breaking the ice as he punched the table just to the left of him. "Damn it all!" Then, he began to glow purple.

"RJ. Calm down," my Grandpa Merrick said. "There is no need to get riled up." He looked over at me. "What was it you said about Aura?"

"Theo believes that I can use Aura," I stated. "He said my body was glowing a dark blue, with a light blue surrounding the dark. Why?"

Grandpa Merrick looked over at Grandpa RJ, who stared back at him. "Is that possible RJ?" he asked.

Grandpa RJ shook his head. "I don't know. It could be the combination." He looked over at me. "Can you show us?"

I stood there, not knowing what to do. "I'll try," I said, trying to prep myself. I closed my eyes and tried to remember what it was that triggered my power. Slowly, I began to remember. _Casey was having trouble. Everyone was helping. I felt useless, _I said to myself. If felt like forever as I tried to concentrate and bring forth the power that I released earlier. Then, I felt something. I felt the power I had used earlier. Slowly, it rose from the bottom of my feet to my head and through my arms to the tips of my fingers. The next thing I know, my hands are out in front of me, fingers spread apart with about three inches between my hands. When I opened my eyes, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Between my hands was a ball of energy. The middle was a dark blue color, with a light blue surrounding it.

"Y-you…can use Aura?" my Grandpa RJ asked, completely shocked. My Grandpa Merrick's mouth was wide open. Zen-Aku did not seem surprised.

Then, in a blink of an eye, it was gone. I examined my hands, trying to figure out what it was I saw. "Grandpa RJ?" I asked. "What was that?"

"That was Aura," he said, bluntly. "And that makes you an Aura user. But how is that possible? How is it I have never noticed you had this power?" He began pacing where he was.

"Before you wear a hole in the floor, will you please explain what Aura is?" I asked. I was getting more and more confused. I had so many questions and no answers. It was getting on my nerves.

"Oh, sorry. Well, Aura is a substance that every living creature is born with. Just like everyone is born with an Animal Spirit. However, unlike an Animal Spirit, every living creature gives off this substance unknowingly," he said. He took a deep breath, then exhaled before continuing. "Being able to use Aura isn't that rare. The Pai Zhua teachings teaches one to release their inner Animal Spirit by using Aura. You, however, are different. You are able to use Aura in its purest form. That is extremely rare."

"Rare?" I asked.

"Yes. There have only been a few Pure-Aura users," he said, smiling.

_Just when I get an answer, another question arises. _I thought to myself. "So, what does this mean?"

"This means things have just gotten interesting," Zen-Aku said as he walked over to my grandfathers. "We now have a slight advantage."

_Advantage?_ I thought to myself. _What advantage?_

Zen-Aku must have read my mind as he stared at me with his piercing yellow eyes. "The advantage is your Aura," he said. "Aura users can bend, not only their Aura, but others as well. It does, however, take a few years training."

"Years?" I asked, somewhat taken back. "We don't exactly have that much time."

But before Zen-Aku could say anything, the princess came back. She was holding a large brown bag. There was some sort of picture on top of it. She placed the bag on the table and walked towards my Grandpa Merrick.

"Sorry it took so long. I had to move some things around to get to it," she said, as she stared at the picture she was holding. "I also found this." She handed the picture to my Grandpa Merrick. "It was amongst some of the rangers stuff."

"Is that a picture of the rangers?" I asked, walking towards her. She nodded. Grandpa Merrick handed the picture back to her and, in return, she handed it to me. And, as my eyes began examining the picture, I froze where I was.

"What is it?" she asked.

I swallowed as I tried to find the words to tell them. "I know them."


	13. Lunar Caller

You could have cut the air with a knife. No one spoke. No one moved. No one knew what to say. My eyes stayed focused on the photo the princess had handed me. My mind was racing as I began piecing the puzzle together. _It all makes sense now,_ I said to myself. "I never would have guessed that _they_ were power rangers."

The princess came up to me, her facial expression telling me she was confused. "How do you know my rangers?" she asked.

I looked over at her and smiled. "We go to school together," I said.

"Really?" The princess asked, excitedly.

I nodded. "Yeah," I answered. I handed the picture back to her. "From left to right you have Ryan, Michelle, Devin, Sara, and Dan." The princess looked up from the picture, staring off into space. "Princess? When did they acquire their powers?"

The princess looked over at me. "Almost two months ago." she answered.

I nodded in acknowledgement. "That is about the time they started disappearing," I said. I looked back at the photo. "Now everything makes sense." When I looked up, the princess was staring at me. "Something wrong?"

She shook her head as she smiled and chuckled. "Not at all," she said, still smiling. "Actually, it's quite the opposite." I looked at her, confused. She continued to smile. "You are _the_ Caleb that all the rangers talk about. Especially Michelle. They all said you reminded them of a wolf."

She looked over at my Grandpa Merrick. "I had never put it together that they were talking about your grandson, Merrick," she said, happily. He blushed as his facial expression changed from a stern look to a slightly surprised look.

Then, the silence was broken as the fountain erupted. The princess ran over to it. "There is an Org attacking the city," she said as she turned around.

Zen-Aku walked up to the fountain and looked down. "I'll go," he said, as he headed out the way we came in.

"Are you sure?" my Grandpa Merrick asked. Zen-Aku turned around and nodded.

"I'll be fine," he said. "I'll be back soon." And with that, he left.

"Now then," my Grandpa RJ said. "We need to get down to business." He walked over to where the package was, picked it up, and handed it to me. "This is yours."

I took the package, not really knowing what would be in it. I was hesitant. I didn't know if I should open it until the princess came over to me. "Go ahead. Open it," she said.

So, I ripped the paper off to reveal a jacked that had been folded up and a box on top of it.

"Well, are you going to put it on?" The princess asked.

And so I did. I put the box back on the table and slid on the jacket. It was made of leather, with the words "Howling Wolf" on the back. On the front was a picture of a wolf. As I zipped it up, I heard my Grandpa Merrick sigh. I looked over at him. His face was no longer read. He looked proud, but sad.

"I had never expected to see that again," he said. He walked over to the table and picked up the box. "I guess I shall do this properly." He turned the box around, so he could pick up the lid and point the open box towards me.

He opened the box and, as he did, a silver light began to shine from it. He brought the box closer to me as he held it open. I looked down into the box to see a wolf-like cell phone with a band on it. "I present to you the Lunar Caller. This will morph you into the Wild Force Lunar Ranger. The Howling Wolf," He smiled at me. His voice high and mighty. I smiled back at him. "Go on. Take it."

And so I did. I took out the morpher and strapped it on my left hand. "Now then," my Grandpa Merrick began. "That morpher…" he trailed off, as he looked at my morpher. I looked down too. The morpher was glowing. I held my arm out, now knowing what to do. The morpher began glowing silver and purple. About a minute later the light dimmed. We all stared at it as the light faded from it.

"What it the world?" both my grandfathers asked together.

The morpher still looked like it did, but the colors had changed. It was now silver and purple with a black crescent moon on the top.

"It's our colors, Merrick," my Grandpa RJ said. "The silver would be you, the purple: me. But the black…"

"The black would be Zen-Aku," my Grandpa Merrick said. "He was the original wielder of the Wolf, Hammerhead, and Alligator Wild Zords." He looked back at me. "Though, I'm not entirely sure why it changed colors." He trailed off.

"Could it be because of his control over Aura?" my Grandpa RJ asked.

"Well, right now it doesn't matter. Now then, as I was trying to say before," he began to speak again, but this time I couldn't hear him. All I could hear was a howling in my ears. It was as if the morpher was talking to me. It began sending impulses to me. And, finally, I gave in.

I held my arm horizontally, with my morpher facing my Grandpa Merrick. I pulled it open. Then, I pulled my arm up, making it slanted and, with my first two fingers of my right hand, pressed the big button in the middle. Finally, I raised the morpher up to my ear and shouted: "Lunar Access!"

I felt the morpher release its power into my body. When my entire body was covered in light, except for my head, the light shattered away and I was in a suit. Then, my head was covered as my helmet came on. I heard a final howl as the light around my body began to fade.

My grandfathers were looking at me in wonder, both of their mouths wide open. The princess just smile. "You are now the new Lunar Ranger," she said. "Welcome, Howling Wolf!"

* * *

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:

I want to thank everyone that has read my story. I hope everyone has enjoyed this chapter. There is more to come, so don't worry. Also, I want to remind everyone that I do Day-to-Day updates on my profile. So, make sure to check those out.


	14. Talk Amongst the Wolves

I was staring at my gloves when I began to feel it: power. The power I was feeling was amazing. It was almost overwhelming. I couldn't believe how much stronger I felt. I looked up, only to notice my Grandpa Merrick staring at me, confused. "Something wrong?" I asked.

"Your uniform, it's different from mine," he said. He was scanning my ranger uniform as he continued to talk. "How unusual. Princess, did the other ranger's uniforms change in any way?"

The princess shook her head. "No, they didn't," she responded.

My Grandpa RJ walked over to me. "You carry the colors of both wolves," he stated.

"Actually," came a voice from behind the princess. "He carries the colors of all three wolves." We all turned out attention to the doorway. Zen-Aku walked out, looking victorious. "As I said, it wouldn't take me long."

My Grandpa Merrick smiled. "You may be an old dog, but your fighting skills are still that of a wise wolf," he said.

Zen-Aku nodded and walked over to me. "Interesting," he said. "You carry our colors."

"Your colors?" I asked. I hadn't seen myself in the uniform, so I had no idea what it looked like.

"Yes," answered Zen-Aku. "Take off your helmet and look at yourself in the fountain."

And so I did. I undid the buckles on the sides of my helmet, took it off, and walked over to the fountain. I was surprised at how my uniform looked. It was mostly silver, with part of it being purple. There were also black bands around the tops of my boots and my elbows. My belt was also black, but the belt buckle was gold. On my left shoulder was a black crescent moon with a wolf coming out from it. The same design was on my belt buckle.

I realized that the silver represented my Grandpa Merrick and the purple would represent my Grandpa RJ. And the black would represent Zen-Aku. As for the insignia on my left shoulder, I wasn't too sure. But, at the moment, it didn't really mean that much. There was only one thing on my mind.

I turned to face him, my grandfather, and the princess. "I have to stop the rangers, don't I?" They all nodded. I turned back around and sighed.

"Is that what you have been thinking about for the past hour?" the princess asked. I nodded. "Are you worried?"

I looked up at the sky. "There are five of them and only one of me. I've seen what one can do. Do I even stand a chance?"

For at least five minutes, no one said a word. It didn't surprise, though. I hadn't expected anyone to say anything right away. I placed my helmet on the ground and brought my morpher up to my mouth. "Power down," I said. A light flashed as I was returned into my cloths. I turned around to see all of them looking at the ground. All of them, except Zen-Aku.

"You are right," he said. I looked over at him. "There are five of them and only one of you. I would even say you are screwed. That your chances of beating them are a million to one."

I looked down at the ground. _Way to boost someone's confidence,_ I said to myself.

"However," I looked back up at him as he resumed speaking. "I do know one way you could defeat them." The princess gasped. I looked over at her and noticed she was in alarm. Zen-Aku also noticed. "Well, to be more specific, cure them. Defeat the one who has tainted them." The princess relaxed again as she sighed.

"Well, what is it?" I asked.

"Zen-Aku," my Grandpa Merrick asked, before Zen-Aku could say anything. "Are you thinking what I am thinking?" Zen-Aku nodded. "I was afraid so."

My Grandpa RJ looked over at Zen-Aku and shook his head. "It won't be easy," he said as he looked up at me.

"What is everyone talking about?!" I asked, furious. No one was making sense anymore.

"The Wolf Blades," they said together. The combinations of their voices made me flinch and the princess jump.

"Wolf Blades?" the princess and I asked together. They all nodded.

"So, what are they?" I asked.

"The Wolf Blades are three separate, but equally as powerful, blades that were forged from the Legendary Trinity Wolves' fangs," Zen-Aku said. "You see, the Trinity Wolves had control over light, darkness, and neutrality. They were chosen by Animus to guard the Animarium while it was being formed. Animus gave each of the wolves power to protect the Animarium. When the Animarium was finally formed, they had to give up their powers in order to create a barrier that would surround the Animarium while it was on Earth. However, as they gave up their power, they gave up their lives. So, in order to honor the three wolves Animus forged three blades from their fangs."

"So, what happened to the Wolf Blades?" I asked.

"Animus realized that their power was too great for any man to control, so he sealed them," Zen-Aku answered. "He sent them to unknown locations around the world. And, to this day, no one has seen them since. There are, however, a few individuals who know the locations to only one of the blades. But, I do not know who these individuals are. Or, if they are still alive."

"Did Animus leave any clues?"

Zen-Aku shook his head. "I don't know," he answered. "But I have an idea where one might be."

Both of my grandfathers looked shocked. "Why didn't you tell me?" my Grandpa Merrick asked.

"Because I'm not sure if it really is one," Zen-Aku said. "I found it on my journey around the world. I believe it is in the forest where the Animarium was formed."

"I see. You didn't want me going on a wild goose chase," Grandpa Merrick said.

"Exactly," Zen-Aku said, as he nodded. "So now we-" but he was interrupted by the fountain.

The princess ran to it and then turned around, her face pale. "Dan's attacking the city."

I looked over at Zen-Aku and my grandfathers. "No choice, huh?" They all shook their heads. "Damn…"

"Relax," Zen-Aku said as he put his hand on my shoulder. "You've had the training of two wolf masters. Plus, you'll have me. Now then, suit up and let's go."

I nodded. I looked over at the princess. "We are just going to stop him from destroying the city, right?" I asked Zen-Aku. He nodded.

The princess smiled and nodded. "Thank you," she said, softly.

And with that, Zen-Aku and I ran towards the doorway. I pulled my morpher open as we went through the doorway. _It's now or never_, I said to myself. "Lunar Access!"


	15. Battle with the Iron Bison

Zen-Aku and I reached the city within seconds.

"That…was weird," I said. Being teleported was something I had never done before.

Zen-Aku just laughed. "You'll get use to it," he said as the two of us continued to run towards Dan's location.

We turned a corner and, surprisingly enough, everything looked calm. The chairs and tables were still in the right position. None of the builds looked damaged. It was very strange.

"Nothing has been destroyed," I said to Zen-Aku. "That is weird."

Zen-Aku walked a little forward then looked around. "You're right," he said. "It's a trap."

About the time Zen-Aku said that, one of the builds close to us exploded. Glass was flown everywhere. Chunks of the building fell towards the ground. As the chunks of the building hit the ground, it cracked the pavement. Dust flew up and it was almost impossible to see. Luckily, we were able to avoid the explosion. We hid close by, wondering if Dan would come by.

"Chances are, he is only expecting me," Zen-Aku said. "So, stay low. I'm positive he saw me earlier while I was fighting that org."

And, Zen-Aku was right. A few minutes later we could see the shadow of a figure through the slowly dissolving dust. When the dust finally cleared, I almost jumped. Standing thirty feet away was the Black Wild Force ranger who had badly injured Case.

_Dan?_ I thought to myself. _Dan is the black ranger?_ I tried to remember what the voice I had heard earlier sounded like. _It didn't sound familiar. But then again,_ I had a flash back as I remembered the black ranger hitting Case's helmet hard enough to de-morph him. _It is possible his morpher was damaged._

The black ranger kicked a pile of rubble close to him. It took me a minute, but I figured he thought Zen-Aku might have been trapped under that pile of rubble. The pile went flying everywhere. He, then, began scanning the area. Though I couldn't see his face, I could tell he was mad. "Show yourself Zen-Aku!" he shouted. "I know you are here!"

Zen-Aku stood up from his crouching position.

"You aren't seriously going?" I whispered to Zen-Aku. He nodded. "But-"

"Relax," Zen-Aku whispered back. "The longer _they_ don't know about you, the better." And so, he walked towards the black ranger.

When the black ranger saw Zen-Aku, he began walking towards him. "So, you are the infamous Zen-Aku," the black ranger said. By this time, he was closer and I could hear his voice more clearly. It did, indeed, sound a lot like Dan. "My master has said many things about you."

"Master?" Zen-Aku asked. "What are you talking about, black ranger?"

The black ranger started laughing hysterically. "You don't know?" he asked Zen-Aku. When Zen-Aku didn't respond, he began laughing again. "And here I was, thinking you knew about my master the whole time. My master even said you would probably sensed his return."

"Return?" Zen-Aku asked. I could feel Zen-Aku's emotions. He wanted answers and he was getting inpatient.

"Don't get angry, _dawg_," the black ranger said, mockingly.

The next thing I know, Zen-Aku pulled out his sword and held out, towards the black ranger. "Tell me, or else!" Zen-Aku demanded. I could sense Zen-Aku's patients were getting extremely thin.

The black ranger pulled out his own weapon. "Bring it on, you old dog," he snickered.

By this time Zen-Aku's patients had run out. He charged at the black ranger, with his sword above his head. He jumped up, with speed I had never seen before, intending to strike from above. The black ranger knew he couldn't move fast enough, though, because he moved his axe into a defensive position above his head. As the metal from the sword and axe clashed, a strong gust of wind came flying through. With it was the debris: dust and small rocks began flying everywhere. Luckily, I was wearing a helmet.

For the first few minutes, I couldn't see anything. However, a second clash occurred which brought up another gust of wind. This time, the wind pushed everything aside. The debris flew everywhere. Even the larger chunks were shot at least ten feet from their original position. And, all around Zen-Aku and the black ranger, I could sense energy. There were even certain times where I thought I could actually see this energy. But, I blew it off, thinking it was nothing.

Clash after clash was heard as Zen-Aku's sword and the black ranger's axe continued to hit each other for a good ten minutes. I felt useless, as I watched Zen-Aku battle his hardest against the black ranger. _Is there nothing I can do?_ I asked myself. And then, out of nowhere, I began to have a strange sensation. I was sensing someone's power, but I had no idea whose. I turned around and, to my surprise, stood the yellow ranger on top of a building. She was getting ready to attack Zen-Aku.

There was a loud crash and I turned back around to see Zen-Aku pinning up the black ranger against a wall. That is when I felt the yellow ranger charging towards Zen-Aku.

"It's a trap!" I shouted, as I began running towards Zen-Aku. I felt my body gaining speed and, as if by instinct, I pulled out my saber. The next thing I knew I was standing behind Zen-Aku, facing the direction of the yellow ranger. I slashed downwards, knocking the yellow ranger to the ground.

"Well that didn't work," the black ranger said. From the voice I could tell is was definitely Dan. He kicked Zen-Aku backwards. I slid over and stopped Zen-Aku from flying away. He jumped over to the yellow ranger. "Way to screw up Sara."

The yellow stood up, holding her left arm. "Shut the hell up Dan!" she shouted. "I wasn't expecting that guy to show up." She was gazing at me. From the sound of her voice, she was pissed.

"So, the princess has a new animal to play with," the black ranger said. "Too bad it won't do any good."

I was going to retaliate, but Zen-Aku stopped me. "Don't waste your breath on these low lives," he whispered as he stared at the black and yellow ranger. I nodded.

The black ranger began laughing. "I'd say we're at a draw," he said, as he was staring at Zen-Aku. "So for now, we'll retreat." The yellow ranger looked as if she was going to argue, but decided not to. "But, this isn't over. We will be back. Prepare yourself, wolf." And with that, they vanished into thin air.

"Teleportation," Zen-Aku said, as if reading my mind. Then, he fell to one knee. "Damn, that kid was strong." I reached down to help him up, but he stood up on his own before I got a chance to help. "Let us go back to the Animarium."

I nodded. _My fight with the rangers, _I said to myself, _has just begun._


	16. History Lesson

A/N: So, this chapter is extremely long, and I apologize for that. However, there was a lot of information that I needed to get out. Hope everyone enjoys!

It was about twelve-thirty in the morning and I couldn't sleep. I had been tossing and turning, trying to get Dan and Sara's voices out of my head and the images of them attacking Zen-Aku. Every time I got close to falling asleep, I would hear their voices and picture them attacking Zen-Aku.

Finally, around one, I got up off the cot and headed to the clearing where the fountain was. I had just walked into the clearing when a voice startled me.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" asked the princess. She had jumped out of the fountain.

I didn't say anything for the first minute. I hadn't expected to see a woman jump out from a fountain. "Yeah," I finally muttered. "I should."

The princess just smiled. "Bad dream?" she asked.

I looked over at her, then up at the sky. "Something like that," I said, as I stared at the full moon. I walked over to the stone picnic table and sat down. The princess walked over to me and sat across from me. Then she turned her attention to the full moon.

"It is so peaceful," the princess said.

I looked over at her, then back to the sky. "The night sky wears the moon like a pendent," I said. "Just like you wear that necklace Grandpa Merrick gave you."

The princess looked a little shocked. "How did you…?"

"I heard Grandpa Merrick say that he gave a necklace to someone who was, and still is, very important to him, many years ago," I replied. The princess didn't know what to say. I turned to look at her. "You and him…"

She nodded. "Merrick and I," she began, "were once in a relationship. But, after he became Zen-Aku and was released from the Cursed Wolf Mask, he drifted away from me. He didn't want much to do with the rangers, either. But, finally, they were able to convince him that they were his friends. Soon after that, he and I slowly got back together."

"But then…"

"But then, it ended. The rangers were no longer needed in Turtle Cove. I had to go back up with the Animarium and he had to stay on the Earth." The princess didn't say anything more. She was looking at the ground.

"Sorry," I apologized to the princess. Her head shot straight up. "I didn't mean to make you sad."

The princess just smiled as she shook her head. "You didn't make me sad. It's good to remember the past."

"Remember the past, but do not dwell within it; for there is nothing you can do to change it," Zen-Aku said, from behind us. We both turned around, startled.

"You," he said, pointing to me, "should be in the bed. And you, princess, should get some rest too."

"Well, shouldn't you be resting and not wondering around?" I asked. Zen-Aku growled at me. "I was just asking."

Zen-Aku walked over to me and the princess and sat down in one of the chairs that my Grandpa Merrick or Grandpa RJ sat in, I wasn't sure which one. As he was walking towards the chair, I noticed he was limping. When he finally got in the chair, he let out a long sigh as he sat down.

"Princess, Caleb," he began. "I'm not long for this world." We both looked over at him in shock. "But, do not concern yourselves with me. I have seen my death, and it is near. There is nothing you two could, or can, do to stop it, either, so don't ask."

"Zen-Aku, you can't die on me," I said. I had walked over to him and was kneeling beside him. "I need your help."

At first, Zen-Aku didn't say anything. Then he pointed to my bag on the table. "You have all the help, right there," he began, "and right here." He grabbed my arm that had the morpher on it.

The princess walked over and knelt down on the opposite side. "Zen-Aku, how long?" she asked. I looked over at her, somewhat aggravated that she would even ask a question like that.

"Maybe a day? Maybe a week? I don't know," he responded. He looked from her, to me. "Caleb. I didn't get to finish telling you about the Wolf Blades, did I?"

"You need to rest, Zen-Aku," I started protesting. "Grandpa Merrick or Grandpa RJ can tell me later."

"Yes, however, they do not know the whole story," Zen-Aku said. "And, I do." I was going to protest, but decided not to. Zen-Aku saw his moment, and took it. "Listen well, for I am not going to be able to repeat myself. For all I know, this could be the last thing I say." He took a deep breath and then let it out. "As I have told you, the Wolf Blades are forged from the legendary Trinity Wolves fangs. However, they, themselves, were never guardians of the Animarium. Their pupils were." I must have looked extremely confused, for Zen-Aku laughed when he saw the look on my face.

"A thousand years before the Animarium was sent to the sky, there was a bloody war between two rivaling clans," Zen-Aku began, after he stopped laughing, "These clans each used a different representation of a wolf as their symbol. Known as the Wolf War, these clans battled for power and complete dominance of the other clans. What was very special about these clans was their unique ability to communicate with the wolves. They used this power to control the wolves and set them against one another.

"During the war, a young woman and a young man met and fell in love at first sight. They got married and hid their marriage from their friends and families. Not too long after they were married, the woman became pregnant. She bore the man three children: one girl and two boys. Not knowing what to do with all three of the children, they decided to split them up. The woman took the girl; the man took the oldest of the boys. As for the youngest of the boys, he was left to be found by a traveling nomad group who also used the wolf to represent themselves.

"Years passed, and the three children grew up separately, the oldest boy and girl learned to hate one another. The youngest boy did not learn to hate, nor love, but he did learn to fight. Upon their eighteenth birthday, the oldest boy and girl met on the field of battle. During the fight, the nomads were drawn into the fighting. As the fighting continued, the three siblings finally collided steel with steel. It wasn't until all three of their swords had met did they realize who each of them were. As their swords collided, time itself stood still. It was then that they realized that this war was meaningless.

"The three of them left the battlefield together and they started on a quest to find out how they could this meaningless war. Upon their travels, there came a fork in the road. One path went to the left, one to the right, and one went straight. Neither of them could make up their minds, so they decided to split up but promised each other that they would meet back at the fork in the road. The girl took the path to the left, the eldest boy to the right, and the youngest boy took the middle.

"Upon her travels, the girl met the first of the three Trinity Wolves in the snow: the Arctic Wolf; a beautiful white wolf who was able to bend light to her will. The girl got to her knees and bowed to the Arctic Wolf, pleading to the wolf. 'Stand, my daughter,' the Arctic wolf said. 'I have seen the inside of your heart and know what it is you wish to accomplish. I shall take you in, and train you in the ways of White Aura.

"Else ware, the oldest brother found himself deep within the forest, watching the Forest Wolf bend the shadows around him. Like his sister, the eldest brother pleaded with the Forest Wolf. 'I have seen the courage within your heart," the Forest Wolf told the brother. "I shall train you in the powers of Black Aura.

"Going down the middle path, the youngest brother found himself outside a cave that was carved into a mountain. Upon entering, the youngest brother found the Mountain Wolf meditating. He questioned the wolf, curious as to what the wolf was doing. 'I am the balance keeper,' the Mountain Wolf told him. 'I keep the balance between light and darkness, just like you.' The youngest brother seemed quite shocked. 'I know all about you, my friend,' The Mountain Wolf told him, 'for you and I are very much alike.' Upon hearing this, the boy pleaded with the Mountain Wolf, telling him about the war. 'I shall train you under the power of Balanced Aura,' Mountain Wolf said, 'so you may return and stop this meaningless war.'

"So, for seven years the war continued. And, for seven years, the siblings trained. Once their training was complete, the siblings and the wolves headed down the pathway to meet at the fork in road. Upon arrival, they were overjoyed by the reunion. They shared their stories, as the three wolves listened to their conversations. When, at last, they had finished their little reunion, the Arctic Wolf spoke up. 'Your training is complete,' she told the three siblings. 'My brothers and I have no more to teach you. We do, however, have one last parting gift.' The three siblings stood facing their respective masters. 'We give you our powers,' they said in unison. 'Take the energies of our bodies and end this war.'

"And so they did. Upon gaining the powers of the Trinity wolves, the three siblings returned to the battlefield. They used the powers of their masters and ended the Wolf War by bringing about a powerful force strong enough to calm their hearts: Pure Aura.

"After the battle was over, they returned to the fork in the road only to find their masters on their deathbeds.

"'Masters, is there not anything we can do?' the siblings asked.

"But the masters said no. 'Our time has come, young ones,' the wolves said. 'However, we sense that evil is near. You are not in the clear just yet. Our final wish is for you to use the remaining powers within our bodies to fight these forces.'

"'But, how are we to do that? No man-made object can absorb your powers,' the siblings protested.

"'There is a way,' the Mountain Wolf said. 'You can forge three swords from our fangs.' And so, the siblings forged three swords from the wolves' fangs using their aura. Once the swords were complete, the Trinity Wolves said their final farewells, as they gave up the last of their power and their life force to empower the swords. Thus, the Wolf Blades were created.

"Not long after that, Animus asked the three siblings if they would guard the Animarium. Once everything was complete, the siblings gave up their powers, and their lives, to create a barrier for the Animarium and to save Animus's life from an on slot of evil beings. That was the last time the Wolf Blades were ever seen."

I looked over at the princess and she looked at me. We didn't know what to say.

"Wow," I was finally able to mumble. "I had no idea…"

Zen-Aku looked at me and then looked at the moon. "I know where the first of the Wolf Blades is and how to unlock it."

My attention immediately returned to Zen-Aku. "Where?" I asked.

"There," he said, as he pointed to the princess's necklace, "is the key."


	17. Key to the Key

The princess and I both stood up as we stared at her necklace. I couldn't believe that the key to finding one of the Wolf Blades was within my grasp. The only thing that was missing was the lock.

"Zen-Aku?" I asked. He grunted. "We have the key. So, where is the lock?"

Zen-Aku didn't respond immediately. "The necklace is just a key to the keys," he finally said.

"'A key to the keys?' What do you mean?" I asked. "You just said that we had the key? And you pointed to the princesses' necklace."

Zen-Aku nodded his head. "True, I did point to her necklace; however you weren't paying attention as I also pointed to that." Zen-Aku said, as he pointed to the case that held the Animal Crystals.

I walked over to the table and picked the case up, then brought it to Zen-Aku. "Well, now what?"

Zen-Aku handed me a flute that was shaped sort of like a crescent moon with three holes in it that were just big enough to put the crystals in. "At three, you will need place those crystals in the flute. Then, begin playing," Zen-Aku answered. He looked over at the princess. "And, princess, you will need to take that necklace off and give it to Caleb to wear."

I pulled out my cell to see what time it was. "It's fifteen till three," I told them. The princess took off the necklace and handed it to me. I put it around my neck and, as I did, I could feel the power within it. "So, what is this for?"

"That necklace has been passed down from generation to generation within Merrick's family. It was given to Merrick's forefathers by Animus who received it from the Arctic Wolf's pupil before she died," Zen-Aku said. "She, along with the other two guardians, sealed the last of their strength into that necklace before they died. As time went by, that necklace gained power by its exposure to the moon's light. And now, we must use that power to 'revive' these animal crystals."

"Revive? I thought they were revived once we pulled them out of the former Jungle Fury Rangers?" I was confused beyond imagination. Just when I got an answer, three more questions came up.

"You are going to reawaken the full powers of these wild zords," Zen-Aku said. I was going to ask him another question, but he stopped me. "Just wait. You shall see what I am talking about soon enough."

"Fine," I sighed. "What do I have to do?"

"You must begin play the flute at three and, as you play, release your aura into the flute. From there, everything will become clear," Zen-Aku instructed.

"My arua? But, I'm not even sure how that stuff works," I said. It was true, too. I wasn't exactly sure how I was supposed to use my aura. I had only use it once on purpose. The other two times was, somehow, by accident.

Zen-Aku didn't say anything. "Don't worry. It'll come to you," he finally said. "Now, you have about a minute. Prepare yourself."

I looked from Zen-Aku to the moon. It was strangle looking. The moon was a yellow color and very bright. And, it looked like there was something embedded into the moon. I just couldn't tell what. I turned my entire body, so I was facing the moon, and began concentrating. I had no idea what I was doing. My heart was beating so fast I couldn't think. Then I heard Zen-Aku said it was time. I placed the crystals within the flute and closed my eyes as I brought the flute up to my lips.

The next thing I knew, I was playing a song. I had heard this song before, but only a few times when I was little. Grandpa Merrick would play it on his flute. He would tell me it was a song of his past, before the light. I had never understood, until now. As I played the flute, memories of Zen-Aku's past filled my mind. I could see everything so clearly. From the time Grandpa Merrick put the mask on, to right now.

At the middle of the song, I began to feel aura surround my body and it focused onto a single point: the necklace. My aura was traveling through my hands and into the crystals. Then, it bypassed the crystals and, from the tip of the flute, sent a beam of energy onto the necklace. Slowly, I could feel my aura unlocking the powers within the necklace. A minute passed, thought it felt like an hour, and I could feel the hidden powers of the necklace on the edge of bursting out. Another minute, which felt like an hour, passed and I could feel the power from the necklace about to burst.

Finally, as I finished the song, the power from within the necklace burst out. I opened my eyes to see the three animal crystals floating in midair. I could sense something strange, but wonderful. It was, as if, the crystals were coming alive again. I had witnessed the first resurrection, and now I was causing the second.

Then, there was a great flash as the moon, itself, reacted upon the powers of the necklace. When the light died down, I could see three animals in the distance.

It was quite a sight to see. Walking towards me was the Coyote, Grizzly Bear, and Crocodile Wild Zords. About a hundred yards away, they stopped and basked in the glory of the full moon. I couldn't help but stand there in awe. The princess had walked forward a little ways and was standing next to me. She, too, was staring at them in awe. Both of us were speechless.

"Staring at them will get you nowhere," Zen-Aku said, breaking the ice.

I turned around. "They are mine to command?" I asked.

Zen-Aku nodded. "They are the keys to finding the Wolf Blades," he said. "The Grizzly Bear has the ability to track the Arctic Wolf's Blade; the Crocodile, the Forest Wolf's Blade; and the Coyote, the Mountain Wolf's Blade."

I walked over to Zen-Aku and handed him back his flute. Then I gave the princess her necklace back. From there, I walked over to where I had played the flute and stared at _my_ wild zords. I closed my eyes and, somehow, could feel their presence. Then, I began to feel something. I could feel the thoughts of the wild zords. "Zen-Aku, princess; they are calling to me. The grizzly is telling me we need to leave. He has picked up on the location of the Arctic Wolf's Blade," I said, not turning around.

"Just be careful," the princess said, "wherever you go."

Zen-Aku just gave a small laugh. "You mean," he said to the princess, "whenever he goes."


	18. Unwanted Visitor

I could tell the princess was confused. Somehow, I was able to use my aura. I wasn't sure how at first, but I found the answer almost as soon as I thought up the question.

_Your morpher is suppressing your powers as we are focusing it,_ the Coyote said telepathically. I nodded to his response, thanking him.

"What are you talking about Zen-Aku?" the princess asked. "Isn't he leaving now?"

Zen-Aku just laughed as he shook his head. I could sense that the princess was getting frustrated. "Princess, he is. What I meant was-"

But, Zen-Aku was cut off by a large crack of thunder. I opened my eyes and began looking around. The princess had jumped and Zen-Aku had stood up, ready to fight.

"You didn't sense any lightning, either?" Zen-Aku asked.

"No," I responded.

Both Zen-Aku and I were in fighting stances. I was only two seconds away from morphing, just in case. I had a bad feeling that something horrible was about to happen. All three of the wild zords began sending me telepathic messages, saying something was coming, but they didn't know what.

However, they didn't have to wait long as a bolt of lightning struck about two feet in front of me. As soon as the lightning hit, the wild zords vanished. For a split second, it shocked me. But I soon realized that they didn't want anyone to know of their resurrection.

"Morph!" Zen-Aku shouted.

I jumped back and shouted: "Lunar Access!"

Almost a minute passed before all the smoke, where the lightning had struck, dissipated. Standing before us was a hologram of a man wearing a strange looking brown coat that had fur on the collar. In his left hand was a staff. His face was not visible, for he was somehow casting a shadow over it which prevented any of us from seeing who it was. He walked forward a little and then snickered.

"Well, well, well," began speaking the man, his voice very dark. Anyone could tell it wasn't his real voice just by looking at his stature, "if it isn't the old wolf. It has been quite some time since we last saw each other, hasn't it Zen-Aku?"

"Master Org?" Zen-Aku asked.

"I'm glad you still remember me, my old pet," he responded. He turned his attention towards me and then the princess. "It would seem that the princess has a new pet. The bison and eagle were right. And here I was thinking they made the whole thing up."

The princess took a few steps forward. "Release my rangers! They are guardians of the earth, not your playthings!" the princess demanded.

But Master Org just laughed. "She is quite funny, Zen-Aku," he said, as he continued to laugh. Once he stopped, he walked forward towards Zen-Aku. I was going to attack, but Zen-Aku said, telepathically, not to, saying it would do no good since it was only a hologram. He stopped about 3 feet from Zen-Aku. "It seems you are not long for this world. Though it didn't go according to plan, it seems that my black ranger was able to crack your horn. If only that new pet of the princesses hadn't interfered."

Zen-Aku growled as both the princess and I looked up at Zen-Aku's horn. True enough, Zen-Aku's horn had a huge crack in it. Neither me, nor the princess, even noticed it. I turned back to face Master Org.

"Leave," I demanded.

Master Org just laughed. "Just like the original, huh? All serious." He began laughing again. "Make me, fool!"

And, right when he said that, I went off. I began concentrating aura into my right hand.

Master Org just laughed. "No physical attack can cause me any harm."

I started laughing. "What about this?" I asked. Out of my right hand I shot a ball of aura, about the size of a softball, towards him. Master Org started laughing like crazy, until my aura sphere hit him in the chest. He flew backwards about six feet and was forced to double over. He gripped his stomach with is free hand and gasped for breath. "Want more?"

By now, Master Org was angry. "Why you little bitch! How the hell did you do that?!" He asked. He was furious now.

I just laughed. "Don't put anything past me," I said.

Master Org stood up. From his body language, he was angry beyond imagination. "I won't, wolf!" he shouted. "Next time we meet, I'll leave you five feet under!" And, with that, he disappeared.

I sighed as I de-morphed. I turned around to look at Zen-Aku and the princess. "I've got to get going."

The princess started to protest, but Zen-Aku stopped her. "Go then. The princess and I will take care of everything here."

I nodded. "I'll be back as soon as I can." They both nodded.

I turned around and saw my wild zords reappear. _I'm ready,_ I said, telepathically. The grizzly bear roared loudly as I walked over to the coyote. _Take us to the first Wolf Blade, grizzly!_


	19. Time and Birds

The grizzly continued to roar as I jumped onto the coyote's paw. I looked up towards the sky, as instructed by the coyote. Soon the coyote and crocodile joined in with the grizzly as the roared alongside him. I continued to look up at the sky, wondering what was going to happen. I found out quick.

A hole formed within the sky. I had never witnessed anything like that before. I looked over at Zen-Aku and the princess. I smiled and waved goodbye. They returned my wave.

All of a sudden, I was caught off guard as the coyote jumped up, into the hole. I grabbed onto his leg and held on for dear life. Not too long after we had entered the hole, the grizzly and crocodile joined us.

I turned around to see the hole closing. I could feel my connection with Zen-Aku fading. Once the hole was completely closed, my connection with him was severed. It felt strange, not having that presence around me.

_Relax, young one,_ the Coyote said. _You shall see them again. That is a promise. In the mean time, you have us to help guide you._

I sighed. "I trust you," I said, both out loud and in my thoughts. All three of the wild zords, in their own way, smiled. Thanks to my aura, I am able to read the feelings of others and, if I'm extremely close to someone, their thoughts.

It felt like forever, yet it felt like a second as we traveled through a tunnel. One minute, I was surrounded by light. The next, however, I'm in a rugged area.

During the trip, the grizzly had taken the lead. Once we were out of the tunnel, he was the first to land. As he touched base with the ground, a loud thud sound was made. He landed on a giant rock that was, surprisingly, able to fit him. The crocodile landed second in a more flat part of the area, followed by the coyote and me next to the crocodile. When the coyote landed, I almost fell. He landed so hard that I lost my balance and, for a minute, I thought I was going to fall. Luckily, I was able to regain my balance before that happened. "A little easier next time, ok?" The coyote just laughed.

"So, grizzly, where are we?" I asked.

_I wouldn't say where,_ the grizzly responded. _It's more like when._

"Okay then. When are we?" I asked, somewhat annoyed. He knew what I meant. He just wanted to play around some.

The grizzly laughed. _The time of the animal ninjas._

"Animal…what?" I asked.

But, before the grizzly got to respond the sound of someone screaming erupted close by.

As if by instinct, I closed my eyes and began to scan the area with my aura. It was strange, being able to see all my surroundings at one time. Soon, I found the location of the scream. A young woman was being attacked by giant birds. I opened my eyes and started running in her direction.

_Where are you going?_ The coyote asked.

I stopped and turned halfway around. "I'm not just going to stand here and let those birds attach her!" I shouted.

The coyote looked aggravated. _Fare enough,_ he finally said. _If it was someone of my own breed was in trouble, I, too, would race to them. Now go and assist her. But, be careful. And remember what we told you. _I nodded. _We shall be in the Animal Sanctuary when it is over._

The coyote sent me an image of the Animal Sanctuary and I nodded. "It shouldn't take long," I said as I began running towards the woman again.

A few minutes later I arrived at the location of the scream. Once I got there, I saw a person dressed in a pink ninja uniform fighting the birds. I jumped behind some rocks and began watching the pink warrior. I started to recall what the coyote had told me when we were traveling through the tunnel.

(BACK FLASH)

"The phases of the moon?" I asked

_Yes,_ answered the coyote. _When Zen-Aku said that the Wolf Blades were scattered throughout the world, he neglected to mention that only during special phases of the moon is it possible to obtain them._

_And that is the reason we are here,_ the crocodile chimed in. _We have the ability to, not only travel back in the past, but we also know what phase corresponds to what blade._

_Even more interesting,_ the grizzly said, as he took the lead, _is how the blades are set up to correspond to the special phases of the moon. Each blade corresponds to a specific phase of the moon that only happens once in a hundred, or thousand, years. _

"Wow…" I mumbled. "I wonder why Zen-Aku didn't tell me about this."

_Because he knew it would be easier for us to explain it,_ the Coyote said.

"Explain what; the phases of the moon that corresponding to the Wolf Blades?" I asked. "I understood that pretty well."

_Not just that,_ the crocodile said. _The rules of time travel._

"Wait, what?"

_Time travel can be tricky. If you aren't careful, you could alter history to the point where you don't exist,_ the coyote explained. _You must think out every one of you actions to the letter. Also, the fewer people who know who you are the better. You may interact with others, but make sure to be careful about it._

_Another thing,_ the crocodile spoke up, _you cannot go to a time where you already exist: past or future. If you do, the timeline could be warped so badly that it could cause a black hole in time._

I was a little hesitant. I hadn't expected so many rules.

_Do not fret, young one, _the grizzly said. _We will help guide you. Plus, your Lunar Caller is filled with information that might help you as well._

I looked down, closed my eyes, scratched my head, and sighed. _Wow,_ I thought to myself, _I hope I don't screw this up._ I looked up to see an end to the tunnel.

As we neared the end of the tunnel, the grizzly said: _We're here._

As I passed through the opening, the wild zords, simultaneously, said: _You won't._

(Back to Reality)

I heard a loud scream, this time it was a scream of pain, and it brought me back to reality. I jumped out from behind the rocks, using my aura to give me a boost, and kicked the bird in the chest that was hovering over the pink ninja. I stood in front of the ninja, in the fighting stance of my Grandpa RJ.

Two of the birds came towards me, but I round-housed kicked them and sent them flying. From my left, another bird came towards me. I elbowed it and then sent it flying with a punch from my right fist into a group of birds that were charging towards me.

I got back into the fighting stance and looked around. There were ten more birds coming towards us. _Ten against one,_ I thought to myself, _I do not liking these odds._

_Then change them_, came the coyote. I came very close to jumping. I was so caught up in the fight, I had forgotten about him and the others.

_How? _I asked as I tried to calm myself. The coyote began sending me mental images of the back of my hands. On the back of my hand were circles, about the size of a silver dollar and from them a light shout out, as if extending my arms. The light formed a blade and could extend up to an arm's length.

_We have been able to focus your aura enough for you to use this technique,_ the coyote explained. _They are called aura kodachi. They are small swords that are formed out of the back of your hands using your aura. Be careful when using these. We have only focused about twenty-five percent of your aura. Plus, you used some of your aura earlier when you attacked Master Org, so that will greatly reduce the powers of the aura kodachi. You will only be given about half an arm's length._

I smiled. "Sounds good to me," I said, quietly. I focused my aura to my hands. I crossed my arms in front of my face and then swiftly brought them down, releasing the aura and forming the aura kodachi.

The birds jumped back as I started running towards them, my arms outstretched behind me. As I got closer, I swung my left arm diagonally up, slashing one of the birds. Two birds behind the one I just slashed got mad and started running forward. I slashed diagonally downwards with my left arm and diagonally up with my right, taking the two birds down with a single slash each.

"Seven to go," I said, smiling. About that time, two begin flying in the air and dived towards me.

"You're not very smart, are you?" I asked, as I leant back to avoid them hitting me. I did a backbend, then shot straight up and sliced the two above me. I heard a crash as the landed.

"Only five left," I said to myself. I ran towards the remaining group, which was trying to flee. I begin to spin around, placing my arms outstretched and parallel with each other. With that technique I took down two more.

By this time, the remaining three were in the air and fleeing. I crossed my arms, like I did earlier when I summoned the kodachi, and I began to swiftly uncross them. As I did, I allowed the two aura kodachi to touch, which formed an aura ball. As the aura kodachis reached the end, the ball of aura was released. It flew towards the birds and formed an "X" midway. It slashed through two of them, but wasn't able to reach the third.

"Damn," I said to myself, almost out if breath, "they got away." I released the technique and headed over to see if the pink ninja and the girl were ok. As I arrived, the pink ninja released her powers and, from underneath the ninja costume, came a young girl with brown hair. She didn't look any older than me, if she was even as old as I was.

She walked over to me and smiled. "Thanks," she said. I nodded. She stuck out her hand and I shook it. "My name's Kimberly. Kim for short."

"I'm Caleb. It's at short as it will get," I said. She laughed as she released my hand. About that time, the girl I had heard scream earlier came out from behind the bushes.

"Kat, are you ok?" Kim asked.

"Yeah, thanks to him," she said. She was blond, with a British accent. She smiled as she got closer. "My name's Kat." She stuck her hand out. I started to reach for it, but stopped for a split second before I shook it. In that split second, I felt some kind of evil that was coming from her.

"My name's Caleb. It's nice to meet you. Both of you," I said. They both just smiled.

"We should get out of here," Kim said. Kat agreed.

"Are you coming with us?" Kim asked "Or are you going to make two defenseless girls walk back by themselves?"

"Umm," I stuttered. I scratched the back of my head. _Coyote's going to kill me._ "Yeah, sure, lead the way."

Kim smiled as she took the lead. Kat followed behind her, and I was behind Kat. As we started walking, I couldn't help but stare at Kat. _Something's not right,_ I said to myself. _And I'm going to find out what._


	20. Zordon

As we reached the city park, Kat and Kim stopped and turned around. I, however, wasn't paying attention, as I continued to walk. I was looking towards the ground, having a conversation with the coyote. He wasn't exactly happy with me as I tried to explain the situation I was in.

_I couldn't just let them walk back to the city by themselves. What if they got attacked again?_ I asked, trying to convence the coyote.

_That doesn't concern you,_ he snapped.

_But it could affect the future! _I snapped back.

The coyote just grumbled. _You're just like your grandfather. Stubborn as an ass._

But before I could say anything, Kim got my attention. "Umm...? Caleb?" Kim asked as I walked between her and Kat, not knowing that I had.

I stopped, looked up, noticed they were not in front of me, turned around, and started laughing. "I was testing you," I said, trying not to feel embarrassed. I was about ten feet away. _We will finish this later!_ Thy coyote just sighed as he shook his head.

Both the girls just laughed as I walked back towards them. "Well, I've got to be somewhere so I'll see you two around," Kat said as she headed off in a different direction. "Oh, and thanks for saving me, Caleb."

I smiled. "You're welcome, Miss Kat."

She turned around for a brief moment. "You don't have to call me 'miss'," she said, smiling. "Bye!" And with that, she was off.

Kim waited another minute or so before she turned to look at me. "Who are you, really?" She asked. She had a serious look on her face.

I stood there, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I saw those things coming out of your hands. I don't think Kat did, 'cause she was hiding behind some rocks. But I definitely saw something," she said. I just stood there, not knowing what to say. It never crossed my mind that she had seen me, thought it should have. "So, who, or what, are you?"

_Coyote!_ I yelled in my head.

_What?_ He asked.

_What do I do?!_ I asked. I was trying not to panic.

_Remember what I said about your Lunar Caller having information within it?_ I sent him a telepathic nod. _Access it and find out who this girl is. You said she was wearing a uniform when you arrived, so chances are she has powers as well._

_How do I-_ I began, but then it hit me. _Duh!_

I used my aura and tapped into the Lunar Caller. From there, I sent a mental picture of Kim to the morpher. The next thing I knew, I was being sent all this information about who she was.

_Now then, use that information, t_he coyote ordered.

"Well?" Kim asked. I could tell she was getting annoyed. "Are you going to-"

"Take me to Zordon," I commanded.

She seemed thrown back. She hadn't expected me to say that. "What?!" She asked, in a confused and alert manner.

"I want to see Zordon," I repeated.

She grabbed my right wrist and pulled me into a clump of trees, where no one could see us. Pulling her left wrist to her mouth, she pressed a button with her right index finger on what looked like a watch. "Alpha, can you teleport me and a…friend?"

The next thing I know, I was surrounded by silver light. My feet were not on the ground anymore. I was being transported somewhere. About ten seconds later, my feel touched ground again. I stood straight up and just shook my head. I felt like I was going to throw-up.

When I finally opened my eyes, I saw a strange looking robot in front of me. It wasn't very tall, with a saucer shaped head and red torso. Behind it was a face in a jar. I just stared at it, not knowing what to say.

"This guy wanted to see you, Zordon," Kim said, snapping me out of my trance. "His name is Caleb. He saved me and Kat earlier from those tengas."

"Thank you for saving my pink ranger, Caleb," the face in the jar, known as Zordon, said. "You have quite a unique power, aura user."

"Thanks," I mumbled. "Wait, how did you know that I can use aura?!"

"Alpha and I watched your fight on the viewing globe," Zordon answered. "That was quite impressive. I have only met one other aura user before, many centuries ago."

I stood there, looking up at Zordon as I tried to figure out what to say next. _Coyote?_ I asked. But there came no response. _Coyote?! Grizzly?! Crocodile?!_ Nothing. It was, as if, my psychic link to the wild zords was being blocked. _Guess I'm on my own._

"Zordon-" I began.

But before I could ask my question, the chamber began to light up again. I walked over to Kim and Alpha, turning my back to Zordon as I watched the phenomenon before me. There were five lights: red, black, yellow, white, and blue. I watched in amazement. I had figured this was how I was transported. It was one thing to be transported, but another to watch it.

As the light began to fade, my aura kicked itself into overdrive. I began sensing different animal spirits. There was an ape, a frog, a bear, a falcon, and, the most interesting to me, a wolf.

When the white light faded, a guy came out with long brown hair. He rushed over to Kim's side.

"Kim, are you ok?" he asked, as the light from the others he was traveling with faded.

"I'm fine, Tommy," She answered, sweetly. I could tell there was something between them.

He sighed, in relief. That is when he noticed me. "Who is this guy?"

"His name is Caleb," Kim answered. "He's the one who saved Kat and me."

He stuck out his hand. I grabbed it, firmly, and shook it. "Thanks, man. I owe you one."

"It was no big deal," I said, as we finished our handshake. I pulled my hand up towards my face and just stared at it.

"Something wrong?" Tommy asked.

I shook my head. "It's nothing."

"Actually, it's your powers," Zordon spoke up.

I turned a quarter of the way around and looked up at Zordon. "The less people who know about me, the better."

"They are rangers, just like you," Zordon responded. "I give you my word that you can trust them. Otherwise, I would not have said what I did earlier, when it was just you and Kimberly, about you being an aura user."

"Wait a minute, Zordon," a guy in a red sweat shirt said. "You mean to tell us that this guy is a ranger?" He pointed at me.

"That is correct, Rocky," Zordon answered.

"How did you know?" I asked.

"Your morpher, like all morphers, sends out a unique signal," Alpha answered. "Ever since you arrived through that time vortex, we've been able to track you."

I looked down at my morpher and then back up to Zordon. "Zordon, I-"

But I was cut off by the sounding of an alarm. The robot began to freak out. "Zordon, Goldar and Rito are attacking the city. And, they have Katherine," he said.

"Rangers, go and save Katherine," Zordon said. "Kimberly, you must stay here. Be careful rangers and may the power protect you."

I looked over to Kim, who looked annoyed. Then I watched the other five rangers morph and head out. Together, Zordon, Kim, Alpha, and I watched them fight on the viewing globe.

They seemed to be fairing against the two monsters. Then, a group of tenga came flying in and a major fight broke out.

"Zordon, I think I should go and help them," Kim said as she turned around to face him.

"The will be fine, Kimberly," Zordon said.

"Besides, you don't have your power coin," Alpha added. Kim looked pissed. "And you need to go lie down. You've used up a lot of your strength."

Kim looked really pissed, but soon gave in and, with Alpha, headed off to a room to lie down in.

"Zordon," I spoke up as I watched Kim and Alpha go through a door, "is there anything I can do to help?"

"At the moment: no," Zordon said. "However, I would like to hear your story, if you don't mind."

I sighed. _He seems trustworthy. _I told myself. "Okay, I will. But it is a long story. I'll try to just hit the key points."

As Zordon nodded, I began telling my story.


	21. The Caged Crane

A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed the preview of what's to come!! Now on to the story!!

* * *

"The Wolf Blades?" Zordon asked. I nodded. "I've heard of them, but only in myths and legends. I had no idea they were real."

"Yeah, well, at least you knew of them," I said. "All of this is new to me." I had told Zordon all the key points of my story. It took me about fifteen minutes, but I did it. However, I did my best to avoid names. To my surprise, however, Zordon knew Animus and the princess so I didn't have to avoid using their names, which made it easier.

"So, both of your grandfathers were power rangers?" he asked.

"Yep," I answered. I had finally loosened up. I felt comfortable around Zordon, though I didn't know why. "It's taken a while, but it's finally sunk in."

"I'm not surprised," Zordon said. He look up as Alpha came back in. "Alpha, is something wrong?"

"Zordon!" Alpha shouted. He was panicking. "Kim's life force is draining at a very rapid pace!"

Zordon looked worried. "We have to stop the connection that Zedd has with her, somehow."

"Can I help?" I asked. "Maybe with my powers, I can do something to help.

"I do not want to put you in harm's way," Zordon said.

"Wouldn't be the first time," I said, "and it probably won't be the last."

Zordon sighed. "Very well, go to her."

I rushed into the room where Kim was and saw that she was glowing pink. By the second, the color of pink was fading. I knew I didn't have much time.

I hurried to the bedside and took her hands in mine.

_I hope this works,_ I said to myself. I began focusing my aura into my hands and, soon, I could feel my aura traveling through her body. Before long, I began to feel her emotions and I was able to touch her thoughts. I didn't know what was going on, but I soon found out.

I was able to see inside Kim's mind. I could see her love for Tommy, her dislike for these strange monsters named Zedd and Rita, her loyalty to her friends, and her strange connection to Kat. Then, below all of this, I could see a crane. It was a glorious, yet sad sight. The crane was a beauty, with its pink wings and beautiful song. However, it was being caged up against its will.

I couldn't help but feel sad. I tried to reach out to the crane, but my efforts were useless. The cage blocked my mental powers. However, I was too stubborn to just give up. I continued, over and over, with useless efforts. As I tried to break cage for the last time, my wolf spirit emerged and tackled the cage. This startled the crane. It had not expected another animal to try and break it free.

Over and over, my wolf spirit attacked the crane's cage. And, over and over it didn't work. But, like myself, my wolf spirit was too headstrong to give up. Upon the final strike against the cage, my wolf spirit cracked it. The crane began to rejoice. Though it was not free, a glimpse of hope had shone through.

But then, darkness fell upon my wolf spirit and the crane as a giant red monster appeared. My wolf spirit began to fight it, but it was no use. Soon, I was pushed out of Kim's mind.

I awoke a few minutes later. Or, so I thought.

I sat up and looked over at Kim. She was no longer glowing pink, but she did look very pale. I couldn't help but feel bad. I tried to help her, but I wasn't successful.

"Zordon, Caleb's awake," said a male voice from behind me.

I turned around to see the yellow ranger, Aisha, and blue ranger, Billy, walking towards me. Both of them had removed their helmets.

"Kim's still out, though," Aisha said, sadly.

I looked back over at Kim. I felt both sad and angered. I punched the metal table I was on, making a dent in it. Both of the rangers jumped. "I was so close," I whispered. About that time, I noticed I was on a table like Kim's.

"You sure were heavy," the red ranger, Rocky, said, as he entered the room.

"Give him a break, Rocky," the black ranger, Adam, said. "He helped Kim out."

"Well, he was," Rocky mumbled.

I just laughed. They reminded me a lot of my friends. I turned around and jumped off the table. When my feet hit the ground, I became dizzy and almost fell. Luckily, someone caught me.

"You shouldn't be up so soon," Tommy, said.

"Tommy is right, Caleb," Zordon said, through some sort of speaker system. "You used up a lot of aura earlier when you broke the seal that was taking Kim's life force away."

I didn't argue with them. I knew that, like my grandfathers, Zordon was stubborn. And, from what I saw in Kim's memories, Tommy was, too. I got back on the table but, didn't lie down. "Zordon, rangers," I said, once I was fully on the table, "I didn't remove the seal."

Tommy, who was at Kim's side, looked over at me. As I looked him at his eyes, I saw sadness, anger, and despair.

"I'm really sorry," I said, somewhat quite like. "I was able to crack the cage, but that was it."

"Crack the cage?" Aisha asked. The other rangers had formed around me and they all looked confused.

But, before I could answer, an alarm went off.

"Rangers!" shouted Alpha. "Goldar and Rito are back!"

"Damn it," I heard Tommy whisper. "Let's do it guys. Back to action!" And with a flash, they were gone.

"Zordon?" I asked. "Is there any way I can view their fight?"

"You can watch them from the Viewing Globe," Alpha answered, as he entered the room. He was carrying a tray with some pills on them.

"What are those?"

"There's called Power Pills. Zordon and I created them for the rangers. If you take one of these, you'll recover about a fourth of your strength," Alpha said, putting the tray down next to me.

I picked one up. "Over the lips and through the gums," I began. Both Alpha and Zordon just laughed. I stuck one in my mouth and swallowed it. "Look out stomach, here it comes."

It wasn't long before the pill began to work. I could feel my strength returning to me. I stood up and walked into the main chamber. Alpha walked with me. As we arrived, I immediately looked at the Viewing Globe. I could see the rangers fighting what looked like an ugly gold ape with wings and a bone-like creature. On top of that, there were Tenga all over the area.

"The gold monster is Goldar. The bone monster is Rito," Zordon said. I looked at him and smiled. "I had a feeling you would ask."

I nodded. "You're right." Then, a flash on the Viewing Globe caught my eye. "What in the…?" I trailed off.

"Something wrong, Caleb?" Alpha asked.

"Can you zoom in on the left corner?" I asked. Alpha did and what I saw shocked me. It was Kat. She was just standing there, with an evil smile on her lips. "I knew it."

"Knew what?" Alpha and Zordon asked, simultaneously.

I turned around to face Zordon. "Kim's 'Power Coin' was stolen, right?" They both nodded. "I think Kat took it."


	22. Battle of the Mind

"Are you sure?" Zordon asked. His voice filled with concern.

"Yeah, I am," I answered. "Earlier, when I shook Kat's hand, my aura did something weird. I was able to see this battle being fought inside her. It's like, she's under a spell."

Zordon considered this for a little while. "I guess it is possible."

"Also," I began again, "when I was connected with Kim, I was able to see this strange link between her and Kat-" But, before I could elaborate any longer, Tommy's voice could be heard from the Viewing Globe.

"_Zordon! We need help! The Tenga's are stronger than usual!"_ Tommy shouted.

"Ayia, aya, aya! Zordon, what do we do?!" Alpha asked. He was starting to freak out. "The power boosters are not ready!"

Zordon was quiet for a minute, trying to think of what to do.

"Send me," I said.

"I will not risk your life again," Zordon said.

"You won't be," I retaliated. "I'll risk my own."

Zordon seemed hesitant. I could tell he didn't want me out in the battle field. "Caleb-" Zordon began as I interrupted him.

I held the arm with my morpher. "I've been raised my whole life in martial arts. And, on top of that, this thing is filled with useful information that I can access with my aura," I began protesting. "I'll be fine."

Zordon sighed. "Very well," Zordon said. "It seems that I will not be able to change your mind. Alpha, get ready to teleport him."

"As soon as you begin morphing," Alpha said, "the teleportation process will begin."

"Good luck Caleb. And may the power protect you!"

"Thanks Zordon," I said. "Lunar Access!"

And, just as Alpha said, as soon as the morphing sequence was over, I found myself at the battle field.

_It's about time!_ I heard, all of a sudden. _Where the hell have you been?_

It took me a few seconds to recognize the Grizzly's voice. _It's a long story and right now I don't have the time to talk,_ I said as I pulled out my Lunar Cue and put it into sniper mode.

_Then allow us to probe your mind while you fight,_ the coyote said. I agreed. _Now go, and help the others._

As I ran into battle, I began firing my Lunar Cue at the closest Tengas. When I reached the other rangers, I switched my Lunar Cue into its saber mode.

The other rangers regrouped and came towards me. Tommy reached me first.

"Not that I'm not thankful, but what are you doing here?!" he asked. "It's too dangerous for you to be here!"

I looked down at the ground, trying to choose my works carefully, but also quickly. "I've only begun my journey and, before I even began, I knew I would have to fight; I'd have to risk my life to protect those that I care about. Just like all of you. If anything was to happen to any of you, it could alter the future and I might not exist," I said when I looked up at everyone. "I won't let that happen."

Tommy nodded. "Well said. Now, let's kick some Tenga ass!"

We all nodded, and back to the fight we went. Using my Lunar Cue in its saber mode, I took out two Tenga's as I slashed at them horizontally. Then, out of nowhere, one appeared behind me. Luckily, Adam came to my aid and kicked its chest, knocking it against a tree. Several Tenga's came towards us from another direction. By this time Billy had joined us. We all nodded, as if we could read each other's mind. I switched my Lunar Cue into its sniper mode and, together, we blasted the group into oblivion.

"Someone, help!" screamed Kat, as the monster, known as Goldar, grabbed her. Tommy ran towards her, but was knocked back by the other monster, known as Rito.

"Nice try white ranger," Goldar boasted, "but you, and the other rangers are no match for us!"

Tommy stood up. I could sense he was mad. That's when I noticed Goldar and Rito dropped their guard. I switched the Lunar Cue back into saber mode and held it upside down. I ran towards the monsters with my sword behind me, preparing an upward strike and my left hand crossed over to my right as I powered up an aura sphere.

"Hey ugly!" I shouted. Rito turned to face me. And, when he did, I launched my aura sphere at him. It hit him right in the abdomen and sent him flying about ten feet before he hit a tree. From the sound of the impact, it was easy to tell the tree had cracked.

Goldar turned to face me after seeing his comrade blasted and, as he did, I did an upward slash with my Lunar Cue. I then turned 180 degrees and elbowed him. To my surprise, the elbow hit threw him back a good seven feet. _How did I…?_

_It's called Impulse. It's an ability that allows you to store aura into any part of your body and, when you hit someone with that body part, it releases that aura and sends them flying, _the coyote explained. _As you progress, you'll unconsciously learn new abilities. It's all part of being an aura user._

I sent a mental nod to the coyote. He nodded back.

"Thank you!" Kat shouted as she came running up to me. "I don't know what I-"

But I stopped her, dead in her tracks, when I placed my left hand on her forehead. She was startled at first, but soon became at ease when I began using my aura to probe her mind.

As I reached her inner thoughts, I saw what I had suspected. The real Kat was trapped in a cage.

She saw me and jumped back, startled. I walked over to the cage and placed a hand on it. "I'm gonna free you, okay?" She nodded.

I began punching the cage, trying to break the walls down. After ten minutes of pounding on the walls, nothing happened. Frustrated, I hit the walls one last time, with all my might, with both fists. That's when it cracked and the guardian appeared.

It was a hideous sight. It was in the shape of a cat, pure black with evil-looking yellow eyes. It hissed at me, loudly, as it stared at me with its piercing eyes. It was trying to frighten me.

"I wonder what's stronger," I asked the creature, "a cat or a wolf?" Then, I felt my body began to change. I became pure energy, pure aura, in the shape of a wolf. I didn't, and still don't, know how it happened, but it did. It was like second nature to me.

I charged at the cat, showing it my fangs. The cat hissed and jumped in the air, claws showing. It tried to land on me, but I dodged with ease. From there, I was my opening. I rushed towards it and bit its neck. The cat hissed and wailed in fury. It tried desperately to escape, but to no avail. I continued to close my jaws on the cat, until it was motionless. Once it was, I released it. Slowly, it faded into nothing.

I looked over at cat in the cage and began walking towards her. With every step, I could feel myself returning to my human form. As I reached the walls, I was back to normal. I ran my hand against the crack, and then reared myself for one last punch. I gave the devastating blow that demolished the walls and set the true Kat free.

I walked to her and held out my hand. She seemed hesitant at first, but, slowly, took my hand. Once she did, I felt myself consciousness return to the battlefield. I opened my eyes to see my left hand still on Kat's head. Then, I felt her knees give and I grabbed her.

The other rangers had encircled us, protecting us from whatever came at us.

"Now Alpha!" I heard Tommy exclaim. And, in the blink of an eye, we were back at the command center.


	23. Where To Go From Here

So, it's been a while since I've updated. Sorry about that! I had a pretty busy summer. School has started back, so I should be doing regular updates. Hopefully one a week. It will depend on how school and work goes. Anywho, on to the story! Hope you enjoy it! The best has yet to come!!

* * *

With Tommy's help, I carried Kat to the table I was on earlier. She lay perfectly still, except for her chest which rose and fell with her breathing. I took of my helmet to study her more. I still couldn't believe what had happened. Unfortunately, I couldn't contact Coyote to find out.

Looking over at Kim, I noticed that she, too, was lying perfectly still; except, of course, her chest. Tommy was standing next to her. From the look in his eyes, I could tell he was worried.

"You and her have a bond, don't you?" I asked.

He looks up at me and nods. "Like Kat, I was placed under a spell. I became Rita's evil Green Ranger and almost destroyed my friends. If it wasn't for Kim, I'd have destroyed all of them and still be under her spell."

Before I could say anything, Zordon called us into the main chamber. Once there, the other rangers looked at me, eagerly. I hadn't explained everything to them. Just that Kat had been put under a spell.

"I guess you guys want to know what happened, don't you." I said. They all nodded, including Zordon and alpha. "Okay. I'll try my best to explain." And I began telling what happened, to the best of my memory. Once finished, all the rangers, Zordon, and Alpha were quiet.

"What now?" Tommy asked, breaking the silence. "We need to get Kim's power coin back."

"That we do," Zordon said. "The question is: how?"

No one said anything. They all looked down at the ground, as if they were going to give up.

"I'm gonna go outside for some fresh air," I said, as I turned to walk outside. I could sense that everyone looked up, but no one said a word. Tommy started towards me, but I held up my hand. "Sorry, man. No offense, but I want some down time right now." He stopped in his tracks and nodded.

As I reached outside, my link to Coyote and the others reassembled.

_And you're back,_ Coyote said.

_Yeah… _I mumbled.

_I've got some information for you that might cheer you up,_ Coyote said. I didn't say anything, so he continued. _Grizzly thinks he may have found the location of the first blade. _

I perked up. _Where?!_

_Look up,_ Grizzly said.

Confused, I did. _I don't see anything…_That's when it hit me. _There's no moon! _

_Exactly! Now is your only time to retrieve it,_ Grizzly said.

_Awesome! So, where is it?_

_You're looking at its location, _Coyote said.

My jaw almost dropped. I knew exactly what he meant. "I HAVE TO GO TO THE MOON?!" I shouted.

_Yep_, Coyote responded.

_So how the hell am I suppose to get there?_ I asked. _Have Zordon teleport me?_

_Chances are he couldn't. However, there is another way, _Coyote said.

_Wait a minute. I though you said that the different phases of the moon would depend on which blade was available,_ I stated.

_That is correct. When the moon absorbs light, the white wolf's blade will appear, _Coyote responded.

_When the moon absorbs light?_ I thought to myself. _What are you talking about?_

_You don't know?_ Coyote asked. I could sense he had a smirk on his face.

_You know something I don't. Share, _I demanded. Coyote didn't respond. Neither Grizzly nor Crocodile did, either. I was left in the dark. I closed my eyes and sighed.

As I opened my eyes, I saw that it was getting dark outside. _It's three in the afternoon,_ I said. _Why is it dark?_ I looked up again and, to my amazement, I saw exactly what Coyote was speaking of: a solar eclipse.


	24. Lunar Palace

A/N: So, we're finally getting to the first Wolf Blade. Sorry it has taken this long. This past week has been pretty rough for me and school has been a drag ever since it started. I've got great ideas for the next two blades as well as a huge twist! For those that saw the "what's to come" chapter, you already know that RPM is going to be in here. I'm hoping to have the story finished by Christmas (since the last two episodes come out the day after).

* * *

I walked back into the Command Center and straight to Zordon.

"Is it possible for you to teleport me to the moon?" I asked.

Zordon, along with the other rangers looked confused. "It is possible to get you there, but I do not know if we'll be able to transport you back. You don't have a power coin like the other rangers."

"What if I could get my hands on Kimberly's power coin?" I asked.

"That is possible," Zordon responded. "But, why do you want to go to the moon?"

I looked down and sighed. "Because that's where the first wolf blade is. I've only got one shot at it," I began, "and, right now, is the only chance I'll."

"It will be dangerous," he said.

"I know," I stated.

Tommy looked at me and then to Zordon. "Let me go-"

"No," someone said loudly. "I'll go with him."

Everyone turned around to see Kat leaning against the door frame that lead into the room she and Kimberly were in.

"Kat, it's too dangerous," Adam said.

She held up her hand. "I know where Kimberly's power coin is," she said. "And, besides, if I went with you, I could distract Zedd and Rita so they'd never know you were with me."

I looked at Zordon and then back to Kat. "Like killing two birds with one stone," I said. "You get the power coin and I find the first wolf blade all in the same location." She nodded. "Zordon, we need to go now."

Zordon didn't hesitate as he spoke. "Alpha, Billy, prepare to teleport them to the Lunar Palace."

Alpha nodded and began preparations. Billy stood there for a minute, but then turned and began to help Alpha. The other rangers didn't say anything. They knew that they couldn't talk us out of going and that what we were doing could save Kimberly's life.

"We'll be ready in about two minutes," Billy said. He turned around briefly as I nodded in acknowledgement and then went right back to work.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see Tommy right behind me.

"Please, be careful," he whispered, "and look after Kat."

I nodded. "I'll protector like she was my sister," I whispered back. Tommy nodded and gave a weakly smile.

"Okay! Kat, Caleb, the preparations are complete," Alpha said, a minute later. "Stand in the middle of the command center." We did so. "We won't be able to contact you or teleport you back until you have the power coin. If you aren't back in an hour, we'll send the other rangers to help you."

I nodded. Kat did as well.

"Good luck. And may the power protect you," Zordon said.

Billy looked at us, smiled, and then pressed a button on one of the computers. "And, here we go."

Light flashed around me and, soon, I realized I was no longer touching the ground.

Not ten seconds later my feet touched the ground. And, just like the first time, it took me a few seconds to finally get balanced.

"I do not like teleporting," I said. I looked over at Kat, who was looking forward at something. I turned and saw a red colored monster standing several feet from me. Next to him was an extremely loud and grouchy woman.

"If I was to guess: Zedd and Rita?" I asked, in a hushed tone.

Kat nodded. "Lucky for us, we were teleported close to this wall so they can't see us," she stated. I hadn't even noticed. "I wonder why they haven't sensed us…"

"Probably because neither of us have a power coin," I said. She looked down at my morpher. "What?"

"Wouldn't your morpher send out come kind of signal?"

I shrugged. "I haven't even had this morpher for a day. I have no idea what all it can do."

She sighed. "Forget I asked. I need to get Kim's power coin and you need to get that sword-thing." I looked down. "What's wrong?"

"Well, I don't exactly know where it is," I confessed. As I was looking down, I saw it. "Or, maybe I do."

Kat looked confused. Then, she noticed what I was staring at. The eyes of the Lunar Caller was glowing a very light blue. It would have been unnoticeable if it wasn't for the fact, and luck, that we were behind a wall that was casting a shadow around us.

I closed my eyes and focused my aura. I began to send out an aura signal in every direction, trying to see my surroundings. And, it wasn't too long before the signal had a return call. From my right, I could see a white-like energy path that lead to where I needed to go.

"I know where to go," I said, opening my eyes.

Kat smiled. "Looks like that thing is useful after all," she said. I nodded. "Now, go. I'll keep them distracted."

I didn't argue with her. Immediately I headed down the hall way. As I reached a door, I could hear Rita and Zedd talking to Kat.

"So, you have returned to us, my kitty," came the shrill voice that had to be Rita.

"I have, my mistress," Kat said, in a trance-like voice.

_I'll be back soon, Kat_, I said to myself. _I promise._


	25. Holy Judgment

A/N: It is finally here!! The First Wolf Blade!! WOO-HOO!! Hope you enjoy!!

* * *

I ran as fast as I could down a hallway of the Lunar Palace, following the trail of White Aura. I had been running for about five minutes, as fast as possible. Soon, I began to see an end to the tunnel. As I crossed through, excited, I sighed, somewhat depressed.

"Great…" I said to myself. "An intersection…"

I was at a three-way intersection: left, straight, or right. _Now which way…_

I looked at my morpher, noticing that the eyes were somewhat brighter than they were earlier. _At least I'm getting close._

Closing my eyes, I began to focus my aura and see which way the aura was going. It didn't take long, and I began to run again.

Down another hallway I went, only this time the hallway was somewhat curvy. Going from left to right, the hallway didn't have any major turns to it. I continued to run, hoping that I would find the end soon. Though, deep down, I knew it wouldn't be that easy.

I continued to run and when I finally reached an opening, it was another intersection. This time, however, there were four choices: left, right, straight-left, and straight-right.

I sighed. "Good thing I can use my aura," I said to myself. I pondered for a moment. "Wow, I'm lonely…" This had been one of the few times where there was no one around and I didn't have my psychic link to Coyote and the others. Pushing that aside, I focused my aura, located the path, and began down another long tunnel.

As I reached the end of that tunnel, there were even more choices to choose from. This time, there were five. Like before, I focused my aura, found the path, and ran.

For half an hour, I ran and ran, now knowing exactly where I was going. All I could do was hope that the path I was traveling down was the right one. I had no choice but to put my faith in my aura.

As I entered another intersection, I collapsed on the ground, trying to catch my breath. I had been running for half an hour, something I hadn't done since freshman year of high school. I looked up, only to see that there were now seven possible ways of travel, excluding the way I had just entered. I stood up and focused my aura into my surroundings.

As my aura was flooding the room, trying to find the next path, I noticed that the white aura seemed to be coming from somewhere within this room. Problem was: I couldn't tell where it originated.

"Am I here?" I asked. I looked down at my morpher, noticing the eyes on the Lunar Caller were glowing a very vibrate white.

"I wonder…" I said to myself. I started walking around the room, trying to see if my theory worked. Sure enough, it did. I was now playing hot-n-cold with my morpher. As I got closer to the location, the eyes would glow brighter. If they got dimmer, I was going the wrong way.

Soon, I found myself standing in the middle of the room. And, just as I stood in the middle, the eyes quit glowing.

"What the…?" I asked. Two seconds later, I found out.

I was standing, unknown to me at the time, on a circular platform that had a carving of a sun in it. Slowly, it began to turn. And, as it turned, it lifted me up.

When it first began, it jerked me and almost caused me to lose my balance. What more, my feet felt like they were glued to the platform. And, as much as I tried to break free, nothing worked. I was stuck.

And when I looked up, it made things even worse. The high ceiling was, slowly but surely, coming closer.

"Oh, crap…" I said. I looked at my morpher. "Got any ideas?"

Then it hit me. "Duh…" I flipped it open and pressed the center button. "Lunar Access!"

But, nothing happened. "What the hell?" I tried again. Still, nothing happened. I tried a third, and then a fourth time; still no response.

"There is no way I'm just gonna stand here and get crushed!" I tried to move my feet again. Nothing seemed to work. I was getting closer and close. "I'm not gonna let it end like this!"

My mind was racing as I tried to figure out a way to get out of the mess I was in. I didn't have a clue. I couldn't morph, which meant I couldn't use the Lunar Cue; I didn't have any way of contacting Coyote and the others; and I had no way of contacting the other rangers to aid me. I was screwed. I was about two feet from my head touching the ceiling and there was no way out of it. All I had was my aura.

And then, it dawned on me. _My aura!_ Up until now, I had only used it as a mental-like weapon when I helped Kat and a path-locator when I was following the white aura here. I had used it twice before as a physical weapon, but it felt so long ago that I had almost forgotten.

I looked down at the platform, then up at the ceiling. _Platform it is._ I focused as much aura as I could manage into my hands, and then pointed them down towards the platform. _Hope this works…_ I could feel the aura in the palm of my hands; the power flowing between my fingers; the sensation that came with knowing how much power I had under my fingertips.

I formed a giant sphere of aura from my hands. _It is now or never!_ I forced the aura sphere into the platform, right between my feet. The impact caused whatever was holding my feet in place to release its grasp and threw me off the platform.

I don't know how, but the fall from the platform was nothing but a blur. One minute I was in the air and the next I was on my hands and knees, as if I had just blacked out. Whether it was my aura or another invisible force, I doubt I will ever find out.

Once I realized I was on the ground and back in my right mind, I looked up to see the raised platform. Before me was a chamber that, to my surprise, was completely intact. It was about four or five feet from the ceiling, where it had been prior to my aura attack. Upon the surface of the chamber was writing written in a strange language that I had never seen before. I stood up and started to walk towards it, but I stumbled back and fell.

_Guess I used too much aura…_ I thought, trying to stand up. When I thought I had finally regained enough energy to stand up, the room began to glow. The entire amount of aura I had used to blast at the chamber from above was now traveling through the chamber, into the floor, through vanes in the floor, towards each of the eight entryways, and up both sides of all the entryway's frames.

Standing up, slowly, I gazed at what all I was seeing. I thought that, maybe, I was seeing things; that I was at that point of exhaustion that caused illusions. But, I was wrong. I walked around the chamber, looking to see if there was a possible way into it. Once I reached, what I had guessed to be, the front, there was a giant glowing symbol. Whatever it stood for, I had no idea. But, all the same, I was amazed.

Suddenly, I heard a noise. It sounded like rock sliding against its self. I turned to look at the way I had entered, only to see a rock door being brought up from under the ground. I was being blocked in.

However, I didn't panic. For some reason, I felt at peace; something that I hadn't felt since the accident at Grandpa Merrick's place. I turned my attention back to the chamber.

I was filled with curiosity. I wanted to know what was behind that door. But, at the same time, I already knew. Slowly, I lifted my right hand up to the stone and, just as I was about to touch it, someone grabbed my hand.

I turned to see a beautiful young woman with white hair and blue eyes. She was dressed in white robes that were trimmed in fur. Roughly 5'6", the young woman's touch was very warm to my cold skin. She smiled at me, a kind of strange smile that said, "I like you, so don't screw it up."

She released my hand and brought hers to rest on her right side. "You must be the one of legend," She said in a very sweet voice. "Tell me, what is your name?"

I put my right hand down to my side and backed away from the chamber so that I was facing her. "Caleb Baliton," I answered.

She smiled a sweet smile. "Ah, yes, the grandson of Merrick Baliton," she said. Her look changed from one of happiness to confusion. "You do not seem confused that I know of your grandfather. Why is that?"

I shrugged. "A lot has happened to me within the last sixty hours. As of right now, hardly anything surprises me," I complied. I sounded tired. I had used up a lot more aura than I had thought previously. I wanted to sleep so badly, but knew I couldn't afford to do that.

Her expression changed back into a smiling, happy face. "I see," she began, "that does make sense." She looked directly in my eyes. "My name is Aniu."

"Guardian?" I asked.

"Kind of…" She answered. She barely touched the chamber with her index finger when the chamber split in two.

Levitating within the chamber was a white katana that looked like no one had touched it in years.

"The first of the wolf blades," I whispered. I turned my attention back to Aniu. "What's the catch, 'kind of' guardian?"

She looked surprised. "You were most definitely not what I expected," She said. I didn't respond. "How intriguing you are, Caleb Baliton." She walked around me, examining me. I didn't more, or breathe it felt like. I kept looking straight ahead. Once she had made a complete 360, she sighed. "Do you know who I truly am?"

"I have an idea," I said, "White wolf of the Arctic."

If she was surprised, she didn't show it. All she did was smile. "You are truly amazing, Caleb Baliton," she began. "There have been others who sought the powers of my wolf blade. And there have been a few who have come within inches of reaching it. However, their hearts were always filled with greed and hatred. But you, you are not. I can see within your heart that you seek my wolf blade in order to save your friends lives. Though you are unsure how, you know that you will be one step closer to your goal with this blade.

"I must say that I am extremely impressed as well, Caleb Baliton. Instead of reaching for the blade, you turned to me. You wanted my approval in order to even continue looking at it longer than you did earlier. You have no intentions of fighting me. You wish to resolve this in a civil manner. And now I must ask you, on what grounds do you think I will freely give you this blade and the knowledge that comes with it?"

"On the grounds that I will save my friends from the evil that binds their hearts; on the grounds that I will restore balance to my time; on the grounds that I have no interest in using your blade for anything other than aiding my friends and allies; and on the grounds that I promise to wield your blade in your name and honor," I responded.

She walked up to the blade and grabbed it, waiting a few minutes before she touched it. When she grabbed it, I felt a strong aura flow through the room and I began to feel my strength return.

"Lunar Wolf Ranger, Caleb Baliton," Aniu said. "Not only did your answers come from your heart, but you were not hesitant whatsoever when you spoke to me. That shows your heart, mind, and soul is one with each other." She held the blade in an honorary manor. "I present to you the White Blade of the Arctic: the Holy Judgment."

* * *

A/N: So, the first of the three blades has been revieled. I know there wasn't much action in this one, but there will be plenty very soon!! Hope you enjoyed!!


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